Smile
by janeeyre54
Summary: Delly Cartwright knows all about smiles and being the nicest, most helpful person she can be. But, her smile covers up old hurts and disappointments. What does it take to grow? An AU story prompted by the wmashg challenge, with thanks to Ro Nordman, Dandelionsunset and many others. WARNING: child abuse, self harm, suicide, therapy issues with recovered memories
1. Chapter 1

It was a Friday night and Delly was working at the Mezza Coffee Shop in Tulsa, where she had been living for the past two years. Her thoughts drifted lazily around her tasks at hand; wiping tables, filling milk and cream thermoses, cleaning off the perennially sticky honey jar. How far she had come from the eternally smiling girl from West Virginia. Her younger brother was now on his own, studying to become an architect. He had relied on her a lot when he was younger, and she didn't resent it a bit. Niall was the one person who accepted her always, no matter what. He adored her, in fact. She had been protective of him, just the way Katniss had been protective of Prim.

Delly thought fondly of her friend, how much she had looked up to Katniss when they were kids. How strong Katniss was, keeping her family together when her mom couldn't. There was such a cost to Katniss though. She had to put up walls to protect herself and her sister. Delly knew about walls. She had put up walls of a different kind. People always liked Delly, because she was always smiling and willing to help. What they didn't realize was that smile was there as a sort of force field, to protect Delly from hurtful words and feelings she had battled with for as long as she could remember.

_How many different words for fat could mean kids come up with, for crying out loud? Delly wondered if it was fun for them, making her cry about being plump. Her dad would just say, "Darlin' girl, it's just your baby fat," and hug her hard. Her mom, with her thick immigrant accent would say, "Delilah, have some more strudel, liebchen!" Little did they know that by denying there was a problem they made her feel slightly invisible. So she plastered on that smile and was extra good and helpful__._

_ Still, it was a good life._

_Her best friend was Peeta. Peeta understood about the smile. He had his own. He was hiding the bruises and scars from his mom's abuse for years. She saw it for what it was when they were just 8 years old. He made her promise never to tell anyone, lest his family become even more broken than it was. She kept his secret, and the secret about his love for Katniss. Secrets were safe with Delly, so good at being a friend. As they grew up, she treasured their friendship and sometimes, secretly, wished it were more. But she knew his heart was always on Katniss, and Delly could never deny what made Peeta's heart happy._

But Delly had a secret she never even told Peeta.

When she was ten, she saw a lovely teapot in the window of the local gift shop. Blue with bright yellow stars hand painted on it. It made her think of the old stories her mom would tell she her and Niall, and thought it would make a lovely present for her mother's birthday. The price tag was beyond her means, however. She'd never been great at saving money; someone always needed cheering up with a cookie or sweet, and Delly was only too willing to share. She thought about how she could get that teapot. She was helpful, after all. Maybe the storekeeper would let her help in exchange for it? Nervously, she went inside. No one else was around.

"May I help you?" asked Mr. Cray, peering down his nose at her, and staring just a bit too long. She asked about the trade. He thought about it. "Well, you look like a strong girl. How about you help me take some boxes to the basement?"

Delly agreed that she would come by after school for the next two weeks and help out. She was so eager to show that she could accomplish her goal that she never stopped to think about how odd Cray's request was. Didn't he have that boy, what was his name, Darius already working for him? She went home and told Niall about her "job". He thought it was great! Mom would love it!

The next day she showed up. Darius was just leaving and gave her an odd look, but she was used to that. He probably just thought she was some dumb, pudgy kid. Cray showed her the boxes. She picked one up. It was a little heavy, but she managed. As she put the box down in the room he had showed her, she realized he was right behind her. As she stood up, he put his hands around her and felt her budding breasts. She froze. She had absolutely no idea what he was doing! It felt wrong, but she didn't know why. She felt trapped and had no way to escape, so she just remained frozen, and her _**smile**_, her plastic, protective smile appeared on her face. It was as if she was watching from outside her body. The whole thing only lasted a minute before he backed away from her. She felt dizzy and unfocused. She didn't even realize she was smiling as she walked back upstairs and out the door. She was still smiling when she went home, but inside she was at war. _How could she have been so stupid? Was she going to be in trouble? Did Darius know what was going on?_

The next day at school she was in sort of a daze, and afterward, she wound up back at Cray's shop, as if her feet went by themselves, unattached to her body and mind. For the next two weeks she could not explain to herself why she kept going back, except that she needed that damn teapot. Her mind conveniently wiped out what happened in the basement. Darius never said anything to her, and no one asked why she was smiling so much. _She had always smiled. She was always helpful_. And when she gave her mother that teapot, her mother was so happy! Delly was happy too. _Why were there tears coming from her eyes then? _She stopped drinking tea then, and she never went back to that store. It went out of business and Cray moved away a few years later. Delly was glad. But every day, she had felt more and more invisible. She was so busy pleasing everyone else, and looking after Niall, that she had no idea who she really was.

Her dad died when she was 16, and her mom was sad, but she carried on. Mama's therapy was cooking. Delly's therapy was eating. Niall's was studying. They all got along, and had many happy times together. It was still a good life. Delly had lots of friends – who didn't like Delly? Peeta was still her "bestie". She told him about all her crushes, like the huge one she had on Gale Hawthorne. He was a basketball star, good looking, strong for his family, and good friends with Katniss. He didn't even know Delly was alive. When they were seniors, Thom asked her to the prom as, "Just friends." She had secretly hoped for her first real kiss, not the ones she had made Peeta practice with her. But when she got it it, she had a funny feeling; a feeling about something she didn't want to remember. Something she hated about herself. She told herself that he _really_ couldn't like her. She was so fat. She wasn't strong. She wasn't all that smart. She wasn't really good at anything.

She wasn't sure what she really wanted to do when it came time for college. Peeta and Katniss went to Ohio State. Thom joined the army. She stayed at the local community college. It turned out to be a good thing to be home when her mom found out she had breast cancer. Delly took her mom to the hospital and doctor's appointments and chemo and radiation, smiling and being helpful. Inside she was scared to death. Her mom gave a good fight, but lost in the end. Delly was really sad and not smiling.

As she was cleaning up her mom's things, she started to pack away the teapot from all those birthdays ago, and it accidentally fell out of her hands and broke. She started crying and she couldn't stop. Niall was worried about her. Her friends were worried about her. She could not shake the feeling that somehow she had let her mom down. She started to see a therapist that Peeta had recommended. They focused on her grief over her parents. He suggested that she try weight watchers and more exercise. She knew that was the right thing to do, but she couldn't make herself do it. Somehow, if she lost that weight, the world might see that she really wasn't smiling, helpful Delly, but something rotten and dark. She just couldn't really remember what the dark part was. She just wanted to stay numb.

When Niall started college, Delly knew it was time for a change. She had no idea what she needed, but she knew she couldn't find it in West Virginia. She applied to a two year college outside of Cincinnati for early childhood education. That was helpful. She liked little kids. Everything was going along great until she ran into Leevy, who had gone to high school with her. Leevy was studying psychology. They were eating dinner together and catching up on old times, when Leevy asked her if she had heard about Darius. Delly listened as she told her that Darius had hung himself. He had left a note explaining that he had been sexually abused by Cray when he was a teenager, and never told anyone. The note said that there may have been more kids like him, and he couldn't live with the guilt of not saying anything. He had been in and out of mental hospitals. He had even tried to cut off his own tongue. Delly realized she was shaking. She couldn't seem to say anything. She could barely hear Leevy. She couldn't really breathe. Everything started to go black...

She woke up in the hospital emergency room. Panic attack, that's what the doctor said. But suddenly, Delly remembered everything. She withdrew from college the next day. She felt so raw and exposed. Like Hester Prynne, Delly felt as if she was wearing a big letter A for Abused. She had to leave Cincinnati. She had to run, get away. The next year was a blur.

But somehow, she wound up in Tulsa.

Slowly, so slowly, Delly realized that the plastic force field smile hadn't really protected her, it had isolated her. No one knew who she really was, including herself. She had no idea what she really liked or didn't like. She knew she had friends, but who could she trust with these terrible memories? The one thing she did know was she didn't want to wind up like Darius. She did not want to torture herself to death.

So she got a small job at Mezza, and she lived very simply. She went to the library. She read all sorts of self-help books. She went to art galleries. One Sunday she found herself at a church with one of her co-workers, Annie. Annie had been through a lot herself. She had lost the love of her life to a motorcycle accident, and had nearly lost her mind after that. She said this church was different: it wasn't about sin and redemption, it was about a loving community helping each other find truth and meaning in life. The building the church was in housed support groups of all kinds. Delly found one for survivors of abuse.

The group was mainly women, facilitated by a man named Cinna. They didn't do group therapy work all the time. Sometimes the group explored religious traditions. Sometimes they talked about feminism. Sometimes then did art together. Cinna had them all read a book called "The Artist's Way." Delly went to the group faithfully for two years. She also went to her own therapist when things got especially tough. She still loved her sweets, but tried not to use them to stop feeling. She wasn't smiling quite as much, but when she did, it was genuine. When she cried, the group supported her. She supported them.

Finally, Delly realized she had come to a place in her life where she felt like life wasn't all good, but it was real.

She found out she was really good at making pies. She loved doing yoga. She did lose some weight, but found out it was okay to be fat. She even realized she liked it. She felt powerful. She felt whole.

One day she woke up and realized that she felt great. She decided she wanted to do something to remind herself of where she had come, Something on the outside to remind her of the work she had done for herself on the inside. She went into a local tattoo shop. She was looking at a tattoo of Frieda Khalo, thinking how it might look on her arm. She looked up. Who was behind the counter? Gale Hawthorne. Her jaw nearly hit the counter as she recognized him, still with those smoldering eyes.

He smiled at her. "Delly?"

_Wait, what? Gale Hawthorne knows who I am? _

"Hi Gale, " she said.

She was smiling at him. For real.


	2. Chapter 2

Smile Ch 2

Delly looked at Gale and thought; God Almighty, he is still so smoking hot!  
But what she said was, "You work here?" (Duh? Help me brain! )  
"I guess so," he said with a small grin. "You interested in a tattoo?"  
"I guess so," she smiled again. Aha, perhaps I'm not the only nervous one, she thought. He laughed a little. "What are you thinking about?...For a tattoo I mean."

Delly thought a minute. I don't want to tell him why. Not yet. Wait, not yet? Am I thinking there will be long cups of coffee or walks on the beach? What am I crazy? She decided to take a little chance. "Something a little different, to remind me of what really matters."

Gale just looked at her for a minute. He looked at the wall of tattoos. He looked back at her and took in a breath. Let it out slow, like he was thinking hard. "Listen, Delly. We haven't seen each other in years and I don't know why I'm saying this, except I have a really good feeling from seeing you. I think you have something to tell me that I need to hear. I think I can trust you. Do you like tea?"  
Wow. Honesty. Holy Shit..."I can take it or leave it. But I like good company." Did I just say that? To Gale Fucking Hawthorne?  
Another killer smile from Gale. "Let's go somewhere. I get off in like 20 minutes. Let me just see if my buddy can close up for me." She nodded. He disappeared behind the drapes to the back room and reappeared in about a minute and a half. "OK. All set. You have to be anywhere soon?"  
"Not for an hour or so."  
"Great. Have you ridden on a motorcycle?" he asked as he reached for his jacket and headed toward the door.  
"There's a first time for everything," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. He stopped. Turned around. Smiled. "Wow," he said. He held the door for her. Now they both were smiling.

"To tell the truth, these things scare me a little," she admitted.  
"Don't worry. I'm a really cautious driver. I know that does not really fit with what you might think of me, but it's true. There are too many things about riding that are out of your control, so I take what I do have in my control very seriously." He took the time to explain what the basics were and took an extra helmet out of a small compartment in the back. Once the were both on and the engine started up, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, but not too tight. In about 15 minutes they were at a place called Redbud Park. It wasn't all manicured and polished, like most parks in the city. It had a rustic, wild sense to it. He pulled up to a spot near some big rock formations. Delly could just sense the power in those rocks, created by glaciers and millennia of weather and natural forces shaping them. She looked at Gale, "This place is fantastic."  
"Glad you like it. It's one of my favorites." He led her to a tree that had grown in such a way as to form a natural bench for them to sit on.

"Delly, I've got to tell you that you were about the last person I expected to see in Tulsa. What brought you here?" Delly thought about a smart remark about I-44, but then decided that he had gone to all this trouble, she would give it a go.  
"Well, I never had any idea I would wind up here either, to tell you the truth. I had a lot of stuff to work out and I couldn't do it at home. I tried a little bit of college, but had to get away from everything that I had expected myself to do, if that makes any sense. I had to sort of rediscover myself and I needed to do it in a completely different place. Besides, I like it here."  
"You never know where your journey will lead you, I guess. What's that Bilbo Baggins says? 'It's a dangerous business...going out your front door.'"  
"Bilbo Baggins? Gale Hawthorne, are you a nerd?"  
"One of the nerdiest."  
"I think that's great. I mean, so many people don't show what makes them giggle, because they think it won't fit their image, or whatever. So much of that rubbish is what advertising magazines tell us to think about ourselves. Anyway, I just think it's great. And I loved those books. I'm just more of a Wuthering Heights kind of girl."  
"Oh, bad boys, eh?"  
"Not really. I like the wildness of it. I like the way the characters are interesting, not always likable. I spend a lot of time at the library, so I'm trying to catch up on the classics. It's funny how so much of the messed up ideas we have about how men and women should relate is caused by a misreading of those romantic novels. You need to understand them for the times in which they were written, not today. Same with fantasy books. The stories work because of the archetypes, but what they represent can be misapplied if you take stuff too literally."  
"I know what you mean about that. I'm a nerd and I like the sci-fi and fantasy books, but a lot of them do have pretty f'd up ideas about women. Tolkien was not great at female characters. I mean, why does Eowyn not tell anyone about what is going on with Wormtongue? She's supposed to be a shield maiden, for cryin' out loud. It's because her role as female member of the nobility is so confining."  
Delly stiffens. "I don't think I remember that part." She lied. She knew all to well the story of secrecy and deception and insidious power and being trapped and...  
"Well," Gale goes on, but all of a sudden Delly starts to feel herself space out...she can't really hear him until he says..."Hey. where'd you go?"  
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I...I...was just thinking about what time it was..." She started to shiver. Gale looked concerned and said, "Are you ok? Should we go?" She looked into his eyes, his honest, granite colored eyes. He reached for her hand. "It's ok, Del. You can tell me or not. Whatever you feel comfortable with."  
She looked at her shoes. Breathe. Just breathe. She looked at him again. "I don't think I can tell you just yet. I really appreciate this. I mean, you drove me out here to this special place. We're having this nice talk. You make me feel ..good. I'm just not all that used to feeling really good. I mean, for most of my life I felt happy because I made other people feel happy. I'm trying to sort out what it means for me to feel happy for me. You know?"  
"I do. Believe it or not. I do. I think too much of my life I spent angry and not allowing myself to just be happy. So I get it. Hey, I really had a good time. You're really smart and funny. Whatever you're going through, I know you can make it. I guess I just want to say that if you'll let me, I'll try and help if I can. I think you'd do the same for me."  
"I'd like that," she said softly. She wan't shivering anymore. "What if we just sit here for a few more minutes. Then you can take me back. Maybe we can come out here again, or do something else?"  
"You name it, sweet cheeks."  
She gave him an amazed look and rolled her eyes.  
"OK, sorry, you name it, Ms. Cartwright."  
She thought a moment. "How about I cook you some dinner. Maybe Tuesday night?"  
"Dinner? You've found my weakness! Tuesday's great. LIke 7?"  
"Perfect." She smiled. She realized he had been holding her hand that whole time. She gave it a little squeeze. She looked out at the scenery. She just tried to turn her brain off and enjoy the moment. That's what they were always talking about in the group, to ground yourself in the reality of the present, to relax and let intrusive thoughts float by like leaves in a stream. Gale was still holding her hand. She felt herself relax.  
"I feel pretty good right now. How about you?" she asked.  
"I feel really good. Calm. Kinda hate for it to end."  
"It's not ending," she said and moved to give him a hug. He embraced her as well, holding her close, his warm breath on her neck. Wait, he did not just kiss my neck, did he? She pulled back a bit, still holding him, but searching his eyes for meaning. He smiled warmly and came in for a kiss. She froze a bit, but then melted, allowing the experiment to continue. HIs lips were so full and soft and the kiss was so sweet she wanted to just stay in that moment as long as she could. They gently came apart and she touched his face with her hand.  
"Gale, I have no idea what is going on here. I mean, I liked that and I like you, but I just am a little blown away... This feels so natural... I'm trying to take it all in..."  
He said, "Why do you have to know anything? It felt natural because it was natural."  
"Oh boy, you don't get it. What would The Gale Hawthorne want with dumpy old Delly?"  
She turned a little away. It sounded so stupid as soon as it came out of her mouth.  
"Really, Delly? Really?" He almost sounded angry. "We are not in high school anymore. I'm not a basketball star. I work in a tattoo shop for next to nothing. I live in a shoe box of an apartment and I haven't had a good relationship with a woman since I was 20! We are just two people looking for something. I don't know what it is, but I do know that you are part of what I need to find out about." He paused." By the way, I think you're beautiful."

She sat there, blinking, almost unable to absorb what he had just said. Then she stood straight up. "You're right. We don't need to know anything more than what was right here. I like you and I'm gonna trust you. But don't fuck with my heart, or I'll have to kill you."  
"Okay. No killing necessary. You ready to go back?"  
"Sure. I have to look up recipes to really impress the hell out of you on Tuesday night."  
"Now you're talkin.'"  
*************************************************

Cinna was leading the group in a mindfulness meditation. "I want you to sit comfortably in your chairs. Have both feet flat on the floor. Straighten you back, drop your shoulders. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth at a nice, gentle pace...As you breathe in, feel yourself breathing in positive energy. As you breathe out, gently expel the negative energy. Breathe. Just breathe. And if any negative thoughts come to you, do not judge yourself or the little thought. Just let it float by you, as a leaf travels on a steam..."

Delly was trying to relax, really she was. Half of her was excited at the prospect of Gale coming to dinner tonight. The other half of her was terrified. She had gone over the events of the day she and Gale had shared about a hundred times in her head. It was hard to believe it was real on some level. He had said it was "natural". He told her she was beautiful. She felt like Scooby-Doo with a Scooby Snack!

..."It's just a thought; nothing more, nothing less. Thoughts and feelings do not dictate actions or reactions. Observe the thought and let it go..." Cinna's voice was so soothing. "...And now bring your awareness back to this room as you are comfortable. Still with gentle breathing. And when you are ready open your eyes."

In a few moments, as she opened her eyes, Delly discovered she was the last in the group to do so. Everyone was smiling at her in that nurturing way the other group members had. She looked around the circle and returned the smiles, grateful for such a safe place. Soon, Cinna was speaking again. "Let's check-in before we start today's exercise. Who wants to start?"

"I do!" she blurted out. "I had a really great day the other day. I met someone from back home and we wound up going to Redbud Park and talking for like an hour and I almost had an episode with him, but he held my hand and he told me it was ok to tell him or not what was bothering me and we really hit it off and we hugged and he kissed me and I kissed him back and then I tried to say something dumb about myself and he told me not to do that and that I was beautiful AND HE'S COMING FOR DINNER TONIGHT AND I AM FREAKING OUT A LITTLE BIT!"

"Hold on, Delly! Take a breath, girl. Now, does anyone have any feedback for Delly?"

Livinia, a redhead that said next to nothing most groups, said, "That's really great Delly! Is he cute?" Delly nodded and mouthed the word "smokin'". A few chuckles emanated from the other members. Clove, a dark, small woman who had serious anger issues and could be really cutting in her remarks, said, "What you mean you almost had an episode? Did you have some kind of seizure? "  
"Well, no, I didn't have a seizure. I just kind of spaced out and felt a million miles away at one point and then I started shivering."  
Cinna asked kindly, "Do you have any idea what triggered that reaction?" Delly thought a moment. "He was talking about a character in Lord of the Rings. The character is stalked by this really creepy dude who seems to have a spell over everyone. Gale, that's his name, Gale, said he didn't understand why she didn't tell anyone." She took a deep breath and continued, "I lied and said I didn't remember the story and then I just sort of felt myself float away. But he asked me if I was ok and that brought me back, but then I started to shiver. He held my hand and we talked and the feeling passed."

Cinna spoke to the rest of the group as well as directly to Delly, "What you experienced is called a dissociative episode. We've discussed them before. It's your mind's way of protecting itself from abusive, painful memories. What happened after that, may I ask?"

"Well, I sort of just tried to center myself again and I told him that he made me feel good, but that I didn't really think I could tell him everything yet."

"Damned straight!" Clove interrupted, "Dr. Feelgood will be running for the hills when he finds out you're damaged goods!"

"Clove!" Cinna corrected. "You know that is not what we do here! No one is meant to feel less than anyone else here! Now apologize to Delly and everyone else." Clove apologized, but the seed had already been planted. Delly knew it was just the old tapes playing in her head, that she was rotten, that she deserved it. She had worked so hard at trying to really feel things, really know the difference between what she thought she should be feeling and what she was really experiencing. Right then she was experiencing anger toward Clove and anxiety about how she would act when Gale came over later that night.

******************  
It was 6:15 and she had done all the cleaning she possibly could. The table was set with the funky mismatched china she had collected at garage sales. She had her mom's yellow tablecloth on the table and some sunflowers in a short blue pitcher. She had made blue cloth napkins out of an old denim shirt. On the whole, it was simple, but warm and inviting. The eggplant parmesan was in the oven, the salad was in the fridge, the apple pie she had made was cooling on the counter. She did not know if Gale drank beer or wine, so she had both. She had poured herself a nice big glass of Itallian red and looked out the window. The tree-lined street she lived on had just the right August light. Kind of golden and soft, it made everything look inviting. She lived in the third floor of a huge old family home that had been turned into smaller apartments. The neighbors downstairs were very nice and mostly not home as they were both in medical school.

Delly put on some music. Some nice jazz mix that a friend from the coffee shop had made her. She picked up her favorite book of poems by Mary Oliver, On Blackwater Pond. She read her favorite poem, which reminded her of what she truly believed in, that life could be good again. She read,

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.  
You do not have to walk on your knees  
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal  
of your body love what it loves.

Tel me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.  
Meanwhile the world goes on.  
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain  
are moving across the landscapes,  
over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.  
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,  
are heading home again.

Wherever you are, no matter how lonely,  
the world offers itself to your imagination,  
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting,  
over and over announcing your place  
in the family of things.

She must have dozed off, so comfortable. The timer on the oven was going off. She sprang up to rescue her creation. Phew! A bit bubbled over, but no badly burned parts. And it smelled great.

The doorbell rang. She flew down the stairs. There he was, Gale Hawthorne, standing on her porch. Looking extra handsome in his white cotton tee-shirt. Black jeans that were just tight enough, but still looked comfortable. He was carrying a bag with him. Oh my God, not flowers? I will completely disintegrate if he gives me flowers. He turned around and smiled. She opened the door.

"Hi".  
"Hi." He bent down and gave her a hello peck on the lips. She invited him upstairs and into her apartment. "Would you like a beer? A glass of wine?"  
"No thanks, I don't drink alcohol anymore. I brought some sparkling water, " he said.  
"Man, you are full of surprises, Hawthorne. I just finished a glass of wine and almost fell asleep, so I better not have any more right now, either."  
"Well, it doesn't really bother me if you do. I just find that this whole "journey" thing does not mix well with intoxicants."  
She felt so warm toward him for being so honest. She crossed the room and hugged him. He returned it with a smile as warm as her heart felt. "I want to thank you again for the other day. You made me feel so comfortable. That's not always easy for me."  
He smiled that easy smile again. They came apart and he said, "Hey, I like your place. Lots of yellow, right?"  
"Yeah, I like yellow."  
"I'm color blind, you know."  
"No I didn't know."  
"Yeah, not bad. Just reds and greens kind of look like brown to me. So yellow is good. And blue."  
"Wow. the things you find out about a guy after you almost have a panic attack in front of him," she joked. She led him to the table. "Are you hungry?"  
"Practically always" he said. She thought of how poor his family had been when they were kids. How he had to go without to make sure his younger brothers and Posy had enough. Maybe that's what he likes about me. I'm the opposite of what he lacked as a kid...Oh no, float away little thought-leaf!  
"Well good, 'cause I made a ton of food. I go to the farmer's market all the time and the vegetables look so good I've been making things with them for weeks. Tonight we are having eggplant parmesan and salad."  
"Sounds fantastic!"  
"OK let's eat." They chatted over the meal, remembering funny stuff from home, trading funny stories about dealing with the public in their respective jobs. Gale complimented her cooking in the best way possible, he just kept eating. "Save some room, Gale. There's pie, you know."  
"First of all, no, I didn't know. Second of all, please bring that pie over here." She laughed. He was just so cute! "How about some tea with that?" she asked.  
"I thought you didn't like tea." He said, with a puzzled look.  
"No, I never said that. I said I could take it or leave it. For a while I couldn't stand it. Now, I like tea with pie. Lots of warm milk and honey. And pie."  
"Right. Tea and pie." He watched her as she got up to put the kettle on. He was definitely checking out her ass. She brought the pie back over. It was a work of pastry art, if she did say so herself. A low whistle came from Gale. "That is some beautiful pie." he said. "Did you really make that? It looks to good to be real."  
"I made it all right. I really enjoy making pie, for some reason. It's not like bread, although I used to have fun making bread with Peeta. But bread takes punching down and kneading. It's kind of rough stuff. Pie on the other hand needs a firm, but gentle hand. You have to feel when the pastry is right. It won't ever be better than in that moment. And the mixture of pastry and fruit or filling, well that's an art too. This one is apple. First apples of the year at the farmer's market. So naturally I added spice to the filing, you know cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom. But the crust has something special. I ground up some pecans and mixed them into the dough..." She had been looking at the pie the whole time and not at Gale. He, on the other hand just sat there, watching her go all Julia Child on him. She said, shyly, "I guess I get a little carried away when I'm talking about pie."

"Maybe," he said. "But I admire your passion. I would, however, like to admire the pie itself a bit more closely. Like, in my mouth," he said with a semi-wicked grin. Delly felt her mouth dry up a bit. "Ahem. How do you like your tea?" she asked.  
"Depends on the tea."  
"I think it's Earl Grey."  
"My favorite." She brought the teapot and milk and honey. She sliced two generous slices. It was still a little bit warm. Gale put his milk in the mug first, then the tea. Delly put hers in the same way and added a spoonful of honey. She watched him take his first bite of pie. It looked as if he might just have eaten the very best thing in his life. Two quick more bites and then, with his mouth still full he said, "Div pie iv amaving."  
"Thanks. I'm glad you like it," She took her own bite. Yum! This might be her best yet. She took another bite. A sip of tea. Another bite. They were both grinning at each other like lunatics, quietly chewing this heavenly food. Delly offered another piece. Gale sighed, but said he did not think he had the room. He'd finally hit his limit. They sipped their tea, gazing at each other. Finally she said, "I feel like I've been babbling all night. Do you feel safe enough to tell me something about this "journey" of yours?" He looked at his teacup.

"I've never felt safer," he said.

"I realized a long time ago that I had to grow up too fast after my dad died. My mom was the best. I mean, she kept the whole thing going on a shoestring really. No big fat insurance policy or pension plan. No real education on her part as she married so young. But she never once complained. She made us all do our best and never looked for handouts. She was incredibly strong. She really loved us and that kept her going, I guess. But, I was just 13 when he died and it was a lot for a kid who mostly hung out in the woods and did whatever he wanted to suddenly feel responsible for all those other kids and even somewhat for my mom. And I really didn't feel like I could talk to anyone about it. Katniss and I, we were so close, we didn't really have to say much to each other. We just kind of understood one another. That's great, but not the same as having someone you can talk to.

Anyway, all the responsibility, all the barely scraping by, all the things my brothers and Posy and I didn't have, they just seemed really unfair. I was angry a lot; angry at the stupid class system in our stupid town; angry at my dad even, for checking out too soon. And I had this huge crush on Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter. She seemed so unattainable and that made me angry too. And all the kids we knew were going to college and I couldn't because I had to work. I might have gotten basketball scholarships and such, but I didn't even apply. My mom tried to convince me it would be ok if I went away, but I wouldn't let myself. It's like I was angry at the unfairness, but stuck in this role that I had made for myself as The Gale Hawthorne, Protector of the family.

I got a job fixing cars, but they guys I worked with were complete losers. They spent all their free time getting wasted. I was so stuck. I started drinking pretty heavy and getting high. I slept with any girl who wanted to. And every day I felt more and more empty. More hollow. More invisible. And still so angry underneath.

Now, one nice thing that happened, my mom started dating. I mean it was weird to think of my mom dating, but I loved seeing her happy. You know who she was dating? That drunken asshole Haymitch Abernathy. And guess what else, he was not an asshole at all to my mom. So after about a year, we all moved into his house and then that was just too strange for me. Plus, he had cleaned up his substance abuse act and started to have these "talks" with me. I know he meant well, but it just made me mad at the time. So I had this big plan to move to California and go to school and start over. I got as far as here and I met this girl who looked just like Madge, well at least I thought she was like her in my semi-drunken stupor. We hooked up pretty fast and it was great at first. I even cut down on drinking. But she was constantly reminding me about going back to school. We started to argue a lot about money. I dunno what happened, but one night I just snapped. I wound up hitting her. (He stopped here, almost in tears, looking away from Delly.) I left a bruise on her face. I felt like a monster. I couldn't live with myself, knowing that I hurt her. I just think I felt like I would never be able to provide for her in the way she wanted and it just made me so angry again, jut like when I was a kid. I mean, I was supposed to be this big hero, or whatever, sticking to it, saving my family, being strong. But you know what Delly, I really had no idea how to be strong for myself.

I think I was really afraid to try to achieve the things I had dreamed about, because I didn't really know whose dreams those were. Even Maysilee, that was my girl's name, I had never though about the things she wanted. I mean, were they the same things I wanted?

So I moved out, into the shithole live in now, and nearly drowned myself in bourbon. Really, I was just so afraid. I woke up one day in a bush in the park with absolutely no memory of the previous four or five days. I knew I really had a problem. I checked myself into rehab, did my 28 days, read a ton of books. I met my buddy, Beetee, at an AA meeting. He was into making gadgets and designs and such. We started hanging out, then we found about this tattoo shop that was hiring. We applied and for some reason got hired. That was three years ago. I'm still learning, but for once I feel like I'm taking my time to get to something deeper. I mean, I found out I could draw. Who knew? Maybe not like Mellark, but I'm pretty good. For a color blind jerk." He paused. Shook his head. " I still don't know how you walked in that day, or why. I only know it feels good to talk to you, Del."

"It feels good to be able to listen," she murmured. He sat back in his chair. He smiled, a little bit of a tired smile, but he seemed satisfied. She felt very close to him right now. She felt so safe as he shared these deep thoughts and feelings. She felt like she had to tell him how much it meant to have gained his trust. She felt she could show him how much she trusted him, but it was still scary. "I know what you're talking about. It wasn't that long ago that I would have run away from you for damned sure, that's how scared I was. But now, after that day in the park, I just feel so right with you." She reached out for his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. She felt tears coming to her eyes, thinking of how much pain they both had carried for so long. Great big drops started to roll down her cheeks. He got up from his seat and knelt before her, holding her hands in his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs.

"Are you crying for me, Del?" She nodded and brought him into a tender embrace, his head agains her bosom, her cheek on his head. "And me, too, Gale. I'm so lucky I found you," she said between little sobs. Still holding him, she said very quietly, "Gale I have to tell you something that's very hard for me to say. I can't tell you everything just yet, but I'll just say that...that... I was molested when I was a kid." He pulled her tighter to him and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. Then he looked deeply into her eyes and whispered, "Oh Del, baby. Who would do that to you? I wish I could make that hurt go away for you." He brushed her hair back from her head and held her face in his hands. He kissed her brow. She let out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"It's OK, Gale. It's taken me a lot of work and a really great support group to know that it wasn't my fault. But I'm still unwinding the head trip I put on myself. I never really let anyone in to see the real me, because I was afraid they would see something ugly. So I always had that smile plastered on my face. I did everything I could to keep everyone else happy, never looking inside myself, never dealing with the shame and pain I felt. As a result, I never knew the real me. I'm trying to break down those walls brick by brick, getting to know what real emotions feel like. I think its the only way to heal myself. I'm getting to know the real me finally and I kinda like her." She smiled, her tears drying. She took another big breath, closed her eyes and said, "I'm really glad you're here. Part of me can't believe it, but part of me knows I need to let you in. I'm really glad you told me about your troubles. I feel so close to you now, Gale. I just can't tell you how much that means to me." And in the next moment, they were kissing. Like ever-flowing cups, their kisses poured into each other. They filled each other with life-saving grace and gratitude. They gradually unwound themselves. Delly spoke first, needing to break from the intensity of emotion. "Phew! Do you want to go for a walk?"

"I'd love to, beautiful," he said. They slowly strolled around the neighborhood on that warm August night. The moon hung in the sky like a giant peach. They held hands and were comfortably quiet with each other. After about an hour, they returned to Delly's place. She cut up half the leftovers, including the prized pie and made a to-go container for Gale. It seemed as if neither of them wanted to separate, just like the other day. There were more intimate kisses and hugs.

Gale spoke after a while. " I don't want to go, but I really think I should. This has been an incredible evening, but we had better slow down or we will be naked. I just don't want to rush things like I did with Maysilee. You are a real jewel, Delly. I want to get to know everything about you and do fun stuff with you and help you with your ink and eat more of your amaze-blast pie."

She laughed. "I could really get used to your compliments, Hawthorne. I agree though. I feel really strong emotions toward you and I don't want to rush into my head trip circus by ravishing you until I'm ready. I have a feeling if we do get naked together it will be...like pie."

He threw his head back a laughed a full belly laugh. "Oh, baby. This is gonna be one interesting ride!"

"You know that's how I like it," she said in a sultry voice.

"Me, too," he answered with the same suggestive tone. Another long, luscious look hovered between them, like smoke from a night club piano player.  
Holy Mary, Mother of God! I might possibly melt right here. It is all I can do not to drag him into my bedroom right now. Hang on Delly, it will be worth the wait!

"So, today is Tuesday."  
"Uh-huh" (small kiss behind her ear)  
"Oh boy...Do you work every day?"  
"Uh-uh" (shake of his head, kiss on her neck)  
"Ok, I never thought I would ever say this, but please stop kissing me."  
"Ok, ok. (sheepish grin). I work Wednesday and Friday nights till 9. How about I call you after work tomorrow? We'll make some plan that involves going to do something fun."  
"Fun would be fun. Call me whenever you like. I have tomorrow off. Now get out of here or I won't be responsible for what happens to the rest of that pie."

Well, folks, that's it for now. I am super swamped from now until October, so I doubt I will be able to return to this quickly. But who knows what gifts my insomnia will bring you. I am dying to know what you think. This was originally a submission for Ro Nordman's wmashgchalenge. You can go to the tumblr site to see the original post and photo inspiration. Being somewhat ancient, I was unaware of the "Attractive and Fat" blog entry by the militant baker. The more I thought about narrow the definition of what sexy is and how sex is sold and at the same time forbidden in our society, the more I felt I had to write about this. I hope you enjoy it. I hope I can keep up with demand. I hope I get some sleep soon. I hope I don't have a nervous breakdown. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN: Well, here is a little diversion that I hope you don't find too boring. BTW, I picked Tulsa, OK as my setting for this AU because it may be in what would be District 2, where Gale wound up. I dunno. Never been there myself, but what I'm finding out about the town makes it sound kind of cool. _**

It had been a hot week in August when Gale and Delly had met. The nights were sticky, although Tulsa wasn't known for its humidity. Gale had just reached home after that incredible night: his stomach was still full of the delicious eggplant parmesan, salad and pie. He carried the remnants with him in neat containers Delly had put together for him. Gale, usually so cool, so serious was walking up his front steps with the biggest stupidest grin on his face. He did not even care what he looked like. He came into his tiny home and put his leftovers away. He went straight to bed, but not to sleep.

Delly had caught him absolutely by surprise. He was not even looking for a relationship. Hell, former basketball star stud that he was, he wasn't even looking to get laid. This was the longest dry spell of his life, as far as relationships had gone. He had slept with that woman that B.T. had introduced him too a couple times. She was nice and all, but there really was no connection for him. That was six months ago and he really was a little gun shy after his break up with Maysilee. When he broke up with her, he had told himself he wanted to concentrate on two things and two things only: becoming a better tattoo artist and his sobriety. He had told himself he didn't have time to invest in a relationship. And he had no money. He was embarrassed to be so broke all the time.

Delly was so different, though. In the space of four days she had opened up to him more than the whole time he had been with any other person. She had let him in and it wasn't easy for her. She let him comfort her. She had opened the door to her heart and inside he felt warm and comforted himself. He knew he could trust her almost immediately. It was something about her eyes, the way she looked right in his. It was the way she thought about things before she answered a question. It was the way she was funny; kind of teasing, kind of sexy. OK, really sexy. He had never been with a big woman before. All those years he thought he loved Madge, thin, willowy Madge. He thought he needed that kind of woman to match his "super star" status in high school. He had thought that was what was expected of him. Delly and her bodacious curves and her luscious lips and her dreamy eyes were totally not expected. It was her strong, real heart that shone through. Her strong heart made her beautiful and sexy.

They both agreed to take it slow. That didn't mean a guy couldn't enjoy a few daydreams did it? He remembered how sweet her kisses were; how they tasted a little bit like the pie they had just finished. And before, when she had held him, as she confessed her secret pain, his head had been on her magnificent chest. Her breasts felt warm and full. She smelled like fresh milk and apples and the moon. He had put his arms around her and she filled him up. She was round and full and lovely. Her curves suited her. There was a rhythm to her, a pulse. As he thought of her fullness, he imagined what it would be like to remove her clothes. He would do it very slowly, caressing every inch of her as the layers were removed. He imagined her sitting on her bed, in her golden yellow apartment, moonlight streaming through the window behind her, illuminating the soft, downy fuzz of hair on her arms. He would lean her back in his arms and he would kiss her. He would starts with her lips. Then her jaw and ear. He would trail down her neck, enjoying every inch of succulent flesh to her collar bone. He imagined what moans would come from her when he touched her breasts with his hands, his tongue, his teeth. Then he would explore her belly. He wondered if she had an "inny" or an "outy". He would make sure she knew how beautiful every part of her was. As he dreamed, he unzipped his jeans and reached into his shorts. His dick was already responding to his thoughts and his hand finished quickly. He pretended it was Delly's strong, but soft hand. He came quickly and his next thought was how soon he would be able to talk to her, to see her again.

Man it was gonna be hard to keep his word about going slow. He took in a big breath and let it out slowly, as he told himself it would be worth it. He reached for the phone to call her and tell her good night.

Meanwhile, Delly was sitting in her favorite chair, reveling in memories of their last embrace. Gale had turned her on more in the two minutes they had said good bye than she had ever known in her life. It was a little scary how good she felt. It had been extra hard to get him to go home, especially because he made her feel so sexy.

It wasn't as if she was a virgin. She had slept with that guy in St. Louis, but it was just a one night stand. It had made her feel cheap and dirty, just like she had told herself she deserved all those years. But Gale had held her as if she mattered. As if she was someone. His arms were so strong, he was so tall and he had knelt before her and held her, really held her, as if to say he knew who she was and that was good. True, she hadn't told him the whole story, but it didn't seem to matter.

There was a trumpet vine growing up the side of a telephone pole outside her window. The flowers were brilliant orange, with a plunging deep crimson cavern inside. A streetlight shone on the vine and flower, making the colors seem otherworldly. Remarkably, a small bat hovered outside a flower, sipping nectar delicately from the petals. How singularly beautiful the night creature seemed. The beautiful vine had drawn the bat out and in it's beauty the bat too became beautiful. Perhaps the bat realized its own unique beauty as it enjoyed the sweet flower juice, accepting a natural gift from something so naturally beautiful. Delly let her mind hover just as the tiny bat was. She let herself go in and out of fantasy about Gale. He was so natural with her and she with him. They seemed to nourish each other with their very souls. What would it feel like if he made love to her more deeply? What would she want him to do? What would she do to him?

Her thoughts turned darker and her hands crept down to her own jeans. She undid her buttons and slowly separated her own petals. She found her center and imagined what it would feel like if Gale's hand was the hand that was stroking her. Her head fell back on the chair. Her other hand caressed her own breast, her nipple rising as she enjoyed herself. She didn't need to come, she just enjoyed the pleasure of it. When she felt the nice buzz that came with the pleasure, all she wanted was to call Gale and whisper good night to him.

She went to her bedroom, put on her nightgown and reached for the phone. She found his number and then suddenly felt creepy calling him. What was she, some kind of stalker? Her buzz faded. She went to wash her face, trying to distract herself from these slightly obsessive thoughts of Gale. As the water splashed away the soap it felt cool and delightful. She felt calm again and dried herself with a fluffy towel. Returning to her bed, she got under the covers and turned out the light. Closing her eyes she let out a big sigh. She saw his handsome face before her...

What the hell? Did he not thoroughly check out her ass? Did he not have to be threatened with pie demolition to get him to leave? He was turned on too and probably did the same preciously perverted things to himself that she had just done. Hah! what ridiculous tapes we play in our head! She reached for the phone and dialed his number.

Busy.

Uh-oh. Voicemail or no voicemail? Yes! Sexy voicemail:

"Hi this is Gale. If you still want to talk to me, leave it at the beep."

Beep.

"Ah, Gale? I just had the most impure thoughts about you and I wanted to tell you I really enjoyed those impure thoughts. Can't wait to talk to you tomorrow. Had to call tonight. I just wanted to say...Good night. Have sweet, wet dreams... God you make me nasty!..OK...hanging up. Right. 'Night."

She ended the call and noticed she had one voicemail. Oh. My. God!

" Dels, it's me. I hope you get this message tonight. You,,,I,,,,Oh, Jesus! I just wanted to say good night. So, yeah. Goodnight, beautiful." She loved that he called her Dels.

There's a neighborhood in Tulsa called Brady Arts District, known as just "The Brady" to locals, Gale and Delly decided they would check it out that weekend. By some miracle, they both had Friday off. When he picked her up she was waiting on her front porch. She was wearing cut-offs and a black sweater, that sort of hung off one shoulder, and army boots. He thought she was the cutest thing ever. He took off his helmet and sat there with his mouth open for a moment.

She gave him the biggest smile and jumped off the steps, practically skipping down to greet him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him like a head on collision. He squeezed her large and shapely ass and answered her kiss with his own. They came up for air.

"Hi." He gazed at her with a grin.  
"Yeah, hi yourself."  
"You ready for fun?"  
"You bet."  
"Hop on! Let's go! Time's a-waistin'," he said in his best Yosemite Sam voice.  
She giggled. He did too. Helmets on, they were on their way. They took the streets and were at the Gypsy Coffee House in minutes.

"Geez, Gale. I feel like a little bit of a traitor coming here. Don't tell my boss, ok?"  
"Hey," he joked, "We're here for the art and music, not the coffee." Every first Friday, there was something called "The Brady Art Crawl". All sorts of restaurants, shops, galleries and studios were open. There was music of every description, even fireworks sometimes.

They walked around for hours. They talked. They ate tacos from a food truck, looked at art, listened to everything from Texas swing to jazz to "indie". Before they knew it it was one in the morning. They were sharing some biscotti and Gale was drinking tea. Delly was sipping lemonade.

Delly asked, "So, if you didn't really know anything about tattoos, why exactly did your boss...what was his name again?"

"Boggs."

"Right, Boggs. Why did he hire you?"

"Honestly I have no idea. When B.T. and I came into the shop it was deserted. So Boggs and us were just shooting the shit for like an hour. I really liked the guy right away and I guess he liked us too. I was telling all about the snares that I used to set as a kid and he asked me to draw one. I did and the B.T. chimed in with some improvements to my design. So we were really fooling around and he just hired us." He lifted up his hands and shrugged.

"So what was your first tattoo?"

"I did a spool of wire on B.T.'s arm. It represented his friend, Wiress. She drowned. Her death kind of sent B.T. on a downward spiral. But he really loved her, so he wanted to remember her every day and remember to take one day at a time."

"Were you nervous doing it?"

"Oh, no. Just scared shitless! I must have done 50 drawings before I even attempted the pattern. Then I obsessed about the colors, the shading, the size of the needles. You name it, I tortured myself about it. Finally, B.T. and Boggs were so sick of me, they told me to go for a drive. I wound up at Redbud, where we went that first day."

"That's your place for good things to happen, isn't it?"  
"It sure is..." he smiled slowly. "Anyway, it came to me as I was sitting there. My buddy asked me to do this, not because he thought I was the best artist, but because I was his friend. I knew what it meant to have survived a personal hell. So did he. So I went back, walked in, sat down and just kind of did it. I just let my faith in our friendship be my guide."

"How did it turn out?"

"Not bad. Not great, but not bad. So now, if I'm working with a client, I like to talk to them a while first, maybe have a cup of tea. I sort of let their energy guide me. It's a cool way to make a living. Not much of a living, but it's cool."

"You're pretty amazing, Mr. Hawthorne."  
"Aw shucks, Ms. Cartwright."

"Hey," she said shyly. "Wanna go home and make out?"

"I thought you'd never ask."


	4. Chapter 4- Deep

**Chapter 4 - Deeper**

**AN: I just returned from a conference that was actually interesting, fun and useful to my job. Can you imagine? Many, many thanks to all those who have taken the time and energy to read and review this. I know Gale and Delly are an unlikely wee ship, but they snuck up on me and now I can't get them out of my head. Be ready for some rougher waters, but nothing too heavy here.**

**this chapter goes our to the fabulous alonglineofbread and yourpeetisshowing, who have just been great to everyone from day one. To fnurfnur for being so hilarious. Also to mannniness for being a great cheerleader, encouraging me to write it out and giving me permission to ship anyone I want. And of course, to my beloved dandelionsunset. love youse, as the would say on the east side of my town.**

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Delly felt as if she had been possessed by some sexy spirit. Where in the hell did she get the nerve to ask Gale to come home with her? She hugged him tight as they drove off on his motorcycle. As the streetlights flew by, she closed her eyes and thought of how good it felt to be close to someone, especially someone like Gale. He had known her at home, where she hid behind that plastic smile. He accepted her here, where she was trying to grow into something real. She hoped he would continue to grow with her, that they would be able to share a real future together, however long that might be.

As they got closer to Delly's apartment, she felt suddenly nervous again. She worried that there would be a trigger for her and she would have another episode in front of him. As unsure as she was, she also felt her blood burn; she felt as if he would consume her with his fierce, grey eyes and she wanted to be consumed.

She led him to her room. She turned to him and invited him to sit on the bed with her. they sat next to each other, legs touching, arms touching, hands clasped around each other. She turned a bit toward him and suddenly felt overwhelmed with shyness.

"I have to say, now that you're here and everything I'm a little nervous."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He looked very sincere, but still she worried about him getting tired of her and her "issues".

She let out a sigh. "It seems like all I ever do is talk about this stuff, but I just don't see any other way to stay as safe as I feel with you...And I want us to stay safe with each other."  
He relaxed against the headboard of her bed. He seemed to be giving her permission to keep going. So she did.

"These last few weeks have been the happiest time of my life. When I'm with you I feel as if I really am a whole person. But, because of what happened to me, I ...I guessI freeze up, go way in my head or something some times. I know I talk a good game, with all my little innuendos, but in reality I haven't had that many good intimate experiences."

"Delly, you don't really have to explain. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, just tell me and we'll stop. I need to keep this safe and honest as much as you do. I may have had more partners, but I haven't ever had anyone let me in like you have. And I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me, too. I don't claim to know anything about what you went through, but I do know what it's like to be wounded and trying to heal. I read this article once about sexual healing through yoga. It kind of blew my mind a little bit. We can try that if you like. It's about getting to know your body in a different way, exploring the spiritual side of sex."

"Oh, God, I don't know! I'm such a mess, Gale! I don't know what really feels good half the time. I have no idea how my body will react, I just don't want you to think it's anything about you. It's me! And I don't want to scare you off with my weirdness."

"Wait, wait, wait...first of all, you're beautiful, not a mess. Second of all, you are more than just your body. Third of all, we can work through this together. Remember how you said when we get naked together it will be like pie?"

"Yeah, I did say that, didn't I? That was kinda sexy wasn't it?"

"Maybe. Don't deflect , you tricky little dumpling!" He held her chin and kissed her lightly. "My point is that , just like making pie, sometimes it takes a little practice to get things just right. Stuff doesn't turn out like the movies, ya know."

"I guess I just have to trust you. And I really, really do, you know." And then she kissed him full and round.  
He broke first. "did I mention how much of a pleasure it is to practice with you?"  
Another kiss was shared and Delly could feel a thin layer of fear melt away in the glow from Gale's fire.

"Hey, Dels, you know what I think I might really like?"  
"What?"  
"If you let me take off my shirt, I'll show you."

_Holy Sweet Jesus!? "If you let me...?" _Delly's heart was like a jack hammer in her chest. Her eyes darted back and forth looking into his. Her mouth hung open, unable to form coherent words...He leaned over and kissed her behind her ear...

BINGO!

"Oh, I think I could allow you to take your shirt off. Do you...do you need any help?"

His eyes shone, that slightly wicked grin appeared as he raised his arms and she pulled his white tee off in one fell swoop and threw it over her shoulder, never breaking eye contact.

"That's my girl," he said. He took her hand kissed each finger and then placed it where his breastbone met his collar bone. He said in a low voice, "now just lightly draw you hand down my chest and arms. Just let your nails graze my chest hairs. Let's see where you get me."

She gazed at his olive skin, with intricate designs enhancing the curves of his muscle and bone on his left side. A serpent, holding rabbit in its jaws, entwined around a tree trunk, but pierced with an arrow that held it there. Behind the tree a red crescent moon surrounded by a silver glow and a golden star near the tip. All of this beauty perfectly enhanced his muscled chest. Slowly her fingers descended, curling into the few perfect hairs and scraping slightly, not to wound, just to excite. He smiled at her.

"Gale I think you should lie back to really enjoy this," she said, regaining her confidence inch by inch. She wanted to give him pleasure a little at a time, absorbing all the new information about him that she could.

He obeyed her quiet command. She moved up a little closer to him, kneeling as if in a new kind of prayer. She spread out his arms and starting on the inside at the top, gently brushed the back of her fingers down and her finger tips back up. She noticed his audible intake of breath as her tips reached the inside of his elbows. She paused and looked at him and kissed him there on his right elbow. His left hand reached up to her hair and caressed her scalp with gentle strength. She continued to place feather kisses all down his arm to his wrist. He turned her head with his right hand, still holding it with his left and slowly raised himself to her, kissing her warmly and wet on her lips, cheeks, eyes and brow.

Slowly, in reverence, he held her face before him and told her it was her turn, although not with words. She understood and lay down beside him. He rolled above her and lightly brushed her skin between her ear and shoulder, bending to kiss the shoulder exposed by her too loose sweater. She raised her own arms above her head and took in a slow deep breath as she closed her eyes. He rested his hands on the hem of her sweater, then placed them just under it. She opened her eyes, letting her breath out. He hadn't moved yet, but asked her with his eyes if this was alright. She smiled a little and said, "You can take it off any way you want to. All of it. I think I want to be naked from the waist up."

"You might kill me, you know. You naked might lead to "pie" before we are ready. But a promise is a promise. Anything you don't like, just say so," he said and she nodded. His hands moved up her soft tummy, gathering material as they rose, first the sweater, revealing a black, plain camisole and bra beneath. The first two layers came off smoothly enough, and she cooed softly, like a morning dove just before the sun rises. He loved discovering the different noises she made.

Unfortunately, not having planned this session, Delly had not worn a front closing bra. There was a little tugging and laughter at the clumsy attempts of each of them to release her flesh from its confines. But then they were there and free. Maybe it was the way they fumbled a bit, maybe it was all the talking they had done before, maybe it just felt so right and natural - whatever it was, Delly was surprised to find that she still felt completely comfortable with nothing to cover her breasts. More than comfortable, she felt sexy. She saw Gale's lustful gaze, saw his mouth open a bit and his tongue wet his lips in anticipation. She felt his hardness against her and knew, deep down, that it was for her as she was. All of her. He seemed to like the fact that her body was different. His hands began to roam all across her. Then he took one, long finger and began to draw imaginary lines from her collarbone, between her breasts, to her belly, along the line of her shorts and back again. She rose and squirmed, as her nipples rose in response. She held his neck and tilted her head back, arching into joy. Then he kissed her breast and sucked it. Noisy, sloppy sucking. Her fingers raked through his hair as she cried, "Oh!", rocking back and forth at her hips.

He cupped her other breast with his large hand and began to massage it as one might soften an orange for juicing, holding his palm straight and rolling the beautiful orb in circles, careful not to put too much pressure against its silken softness. He growled a little, she thought, as he took pure delight in her abundance. And suddenly he scooped his arm around her back and flipped her on top of him. Her extra-pleasant surprise exploded in a laugh and she devoured his mouth with hers, tongues dancing. And then she put him right to the edge as she pulled his lower lip with her teeth. He uttered some guttural "Aaah" and rubbed her back up and down, digging his fingers in just enough.

So, there they were, half naked, three o'clock in the morning, locked in each others' arms, breathing heavily, sweat forming on their skin. Gale was on top now, stroking her hair away from her forehead.

"I really want to make love to you, Dels. I want to worship every part of your amazing goddess body." He planted small kisses on her as he spoke. "But I am also dead serious about taking this slow."

Delly was breathing heavy again. She could barely believe how every part of her felt so good. She told him so. "Oh Gale, I feel as if I'm made of pudding. A puddle of pudding. I feel like I have no bones. I feel amazingly connected to you. For most of my life I felt like the real me wasn't good enough, that I couldn't get and didn't deserve to feel really good. I was always afraid of rejection and never let the real me out. But with you, well, I can't imagine you ever hurting me. Everything you say and do is just so thoughtful and genuine. I can hardly wait for the "pie" we make together. But I will, because we said we would and dammit, I want this to last between us as long as it humanly can." With that she gave him one more long slow kiss, holding his face while he held onto her shoulders. They sat up, small kisses exchanged in fives and tens. She bent down and scooped up her sweater and stood to leave the room.

"Where are you going now?" he asked.  
"Where else? The kitchen! Are you coming?"

"Depends on what ya got in that there fridge, missy."

"I think I've got some left over chicken, grapes, cheese. Oh yeah, and I made peach salsa. Come on," she said as she pulled him up.

"Peach salsa? Wait, you made it?" She just looked at him with that as-if-you-did-not-know-already look. "Of course you did. Lead on, McDuff!"

"Wow," she said. "Shakespeare sounds good on you. I've got some sonnets I could read you later...Or in the morning," she said. She lingered in a dreamy way as she grabbed the makings of their late night snack. She put the things on the table and looked up at him. He had gotten some silverware and napkins. He stopped and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and glee; then he playfully winked at her.

"Full many a glorious morning have I seen," he said, expectantly.

She put a dramatic hand to her head and feigned some spell had overtaken her. Then she straightened, both hands on the counter and said, "THAT was the sexiest thing I ever heard."

################################

Delly and Gale had been seeing each other about two months. They had spent pretty much all their free time with each other. They talked about everything. They read to each other, they even wrote letters to each other, pretending to be Shakespeare and his lady, or gentleman love. Gale even brought over his guitar played some music for her. They even made art together. Gale would do sketch after sketch of tattoo ideas for Delly. She began making small collages, saying she was trying to get the pieces of her life fit into something new. Both of them could hardly believe how well things were going.

Gale had met Annie and seemed to like her, but it was hard not to like Annie. She was so sweet, so ernest and gentle. Delly had met B.T., although he was so shy with her he hardly looked in her eyes. Now they tried to include their friends in many of their shared dinners. Turns out B.T. was actually a pretty good cook, although he was so precise in his approach no one could share the task with him. Still, things were progressing in a very positive way for the new lovers.

Then one day an invitation came in the mail: an invitation to Katniss and Peeta's wedding. The first person Gale called was Delly.

"Well, did you get it?"  
"Yeah, I got it." She did not even have to ask what the "it" was. "What do you think?"

"I dunno, Dels. Part of me is happy for Catnip and Mellark. I mean, I'll admit I once thought it might work out between me and Kat, but we are just too much alike. We made great hunting partners because we didn't have to talk about much. But, when it really came to talking, we just weren't all that good at it and wound up arguing. So, I'm happy for my oldest friend, that she's happy and loves someone. But..."

"But, what, Gale?"

"Don't get mad at me, but, Mellark was just always so goddamn perfect! I'm jealous! ...There. I said it."

"I know what you mean, Gale. Peeta is all blonde, golden boy, but his life at home was far from perfect. And he loved Katniss ever since we were kids. He used to tell me all the time. I love him like a brother and I just want him to be happy. I'll admit I had a crush on him once, but he only ever had eyes for Katniss. Hell, I had a crush on everybody. I had a crush on you too, you know."

"You did? When?"

"OK, don't bullshit me, Hawthorne! You had all sorts of girls throwing themselves at you. Maybe I wasn't obvious about it, but you always made me blush and you know it!" Just because he was fishing for compliments didn't mean Delly was going to stroke is ego. Who did he think he was fooling?

"Well, it doesn't really matter, 'cause I got you now. And I was a jerk then, Dels. I would not have deserved you."

"Who says you deserve me now?" she teased. "Anyway, I'm not really looking forward to going back home. I haven't been since I've done all my therapy work. I'm worried that people will be expecting the old Delly to show up. She doesn't exist any more. What if they don't like the new Delly?"

"Then they're idiots," he said, protectively. There was a moment or two of silence. Then he said, "I just left such a giant wake of disaster behind me when I left. I,,,,,I guess I'm kind of scared of what I'll find on the shoreline."

Delly thought a minute.  
"Well, I know one thing. I'm only going with you. If you really don't want to go, I understand. I just don't think I can make it without you. Besides, we have to show them all our fancy Texas Swing dance moves."

A long, slow whistle came over the line. "Girl, you are a sight to behold when you're dancin!" Gale was remembering their night at the Brady Arts District. Delly and her curves moving all over like he had never seen before. So full of joy. So full of life.

After another minute Delly suggested, "how about we think on it?"

"Good idea. I need to talk about this at AA"

"Sounds like a plan, Gale-man." Ooo! She thought: _did I just make up a nickname for him?_ "I need to process this in group as well. But I'm a little afraid of what they are going to say."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I know they are going to tell me I have to face this no matter what, whether I have you or not."

Gale thought, I_ want you to always have me_. And it scared him a lot. What he said was, "I hope we can get through this."

He could feel it. That old insecurity of being poor, being less, wanting to run away. He knew if he didn't get to a meeting soon, he might make a bad choice.

Delly sighed, "Gale-man, we are a pretty fucked up pair. It's just a wedding. It's our oldest friends. We need to be there for them."

Gale said, "Yeah, we do. But we also have to make a plan so we don't make the same mistakes we always have. We don't need to take two steps back when we are reaching for this big step forward."

"Right. Are you going to a meeting tonight?"

"As fast as I can."

"You want to come over after?"

"Maybe. I don't know how I'll be after."

"I don't care how you are. I just want to hold you."

"That sounds nice." What did he do to deserve her? "I'll call you before I come over."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"See you later."

"See you later... Oh, and Gale?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring a toothbrush."

"Hah! Yes ma'm!"

###########################

Gale was pacing outside the meeting room. He really needed to talk this through with the people who had seen his demons. People had started to filter in. When he sat down he was right across the circle from Cato. Fucking Cato. The guy was definitely an XYY, Super-macho, aggressive idiot. Gale looked at his shoes and took in a deep breath. He reminded himself he was there to hear everything and learn from it, not fight with it.

The meeting progressed. When it came time for him to share, Gale plunged right in.

"Okay. I have an event that I need to attend and it's pressing a lot of my old buttons. I have to go home. The last time I was there, I may or may not have done a lot of damage that I need to make amends with."

The group was run by a woman named Portia. She had a calm presence, which was good, as Gale saw that Cato was already sneering at him, sizing him up to attack his underbelly. Gale kept his eyes on her.

She asked, "What type of event is it, Gale?"

"It's a wedding. A wedding of someone who used to be my best friend. I thought she was someone I was in love with once, but I know I'm not. We're more like brother and sister. I love her, but not in that way. But when we were growing up, everyone assumed we would wind up together. And all the time we were growing up I had a crush on someone else, who I thought I had no chance with. But Katniss was my friend. She understood me and what it was like growing up poor and without a father and hating the presumptions people made about us. She understood my anger. She didn't judge me...and the guy she is marrying is from the better side of the tracks. He's friends with everyone. He works hard. He's smart. He's fucking perfect! What's worse is I even like the guy. I mean, it's really hard not to. I'm happy my friend is in love, but I'm jealous all the same! I'm worried that going to this wedding will lead to some bad choices for me. "

Cato starts to laugh and loudly says, "You are in so much fucking denial it's like a river in Egypt! You're still in love with her. You're just jealous because you have a loser life and Mr. Perfect has her!"

Gale just glared at him. "You don't know shit about me." His fists became hard. His breath became rapid. His jaw tightened.

Cato sat up and pointed at Gale. "I know a hundred loser guys just like you! All you want is a handout. All you want is to be miserable and to be able to blame everyone else for your problems"

Portia seemed to be observing the interchange, but did not step in yet. It was B.T. who quietly said, "Cato, from where I sit, you seem to be in the same group dedicated to support people with substance abuse problems. Have you suddenly not become an alcoholic?" Gale's fury was momentarily deflected by his good friend's concern.

But Cato was not redirected. He was standing now and completely red in the face. He moved toward B.T. and Gale and yelled, "Well at least my girlfriend didn't _off herself_! At least I'm not sleeping with some _fat ho!"_

Gale erupted like a panther springing on its prey. "SHUT IT YOU PIECE OF SHIT! You say one more thing about her and I WILL END YOU!" He was standing nose to nose with Cato. B.T, and Portia were holding each of them back, although both antagonists were at least a foot taller than each referee.

"Okay, boys, that's enough!" Portia said in a commanding tone. "As my momma used to say, 'Don't make me stop this car and break you two up!' Now both of you take a break. Gale, go get some air. Cato, go sit in the office and wait for me. The rest of the group, please excuse us for a few moments. Go have some coffee."

Gale stormed out of the room, muttering to himself. How could he let that asshole get to him? This wedding thing must really be pushing some triggers. Maybe he could ask his sponsor, Chaff, for a one-on-one session. When he got outside, the night air helped him calm down a bit. He really could have choked Cato inside, especially when he made that crack about Delly. _Oh Dels! I may not be the sensitive lover you need tonight. _He hated the thought of her seeing him so wound up. Maybe by the time he called her it would be better. The thought of her loving heart close to him was a balm just in itself. He let out a long slow breath, stretched his too tight back muscles and walked back in. No asshole was going to keep him from his recovery!

When he came back in, everyone was seated there except Cato. Gale looked around at their faces; each of them with their own struggles, each with their own demons. He said, still looking at them, "I apologize for disrupting the group. This upcoming wedding really has me on edge, I guess."

Portia said, "I think I can accept your apology on everyone's behalf. We will take a few minutes to process this experience as a group, but a bit later, I think. Right now I want to know if you're OK, Gale." He nodded and sat down quietly. She continued to inquire of the other group members what the experience of Cato's aggression and Gale's reaction was like for each of them. Then she returned her scrutiny to Gale. "It's completely understandable that you reacted in that way, Gale, but it is not excusable. I will need your promise that something like this will not happen again."

"Absolutely," Gale promised. "Never again!"

"All right. Promise accepted. Cato could not seem to make the same promise and has left the group." A few murmurs were heard. He would not be missed.

The rest of the meeting consisted of a few other members sharing what was going on for them. Gale was trying to stay engaged, but was really struggling. His foot kept moving and his leg was bouncing rapidly, nervously. His thoughts kept going between Katniss and Madge and Delly. He could not seem to settle himself. The old negative tapes kept playing in his head. Cato's insults kept crashing around in there too. As the group began to disperse, Gale made his way over to Chaff. They spoke briefly, Chaff was a good listener, but he had to get home that night to his kids as his wife had a late shift at work. Gale felt minimally better and promised to call him if he needed to talk more.

Gale went outside to call Delly. He was about a ten minute walk from her house. He decided to sit down on a bench to call her. It was a clear night, with some cool autumn breezes. He sat under the streetlight and made his call. She answered on the first ring.

"Phew! I'm glad it's you. I was getting really nervous. I figured your meeting went over, but then I was worried in went over because of what was on your mind and I really felt bad about that and I wanted to come meet you outside, but then I didn't want to cross any boundaries with group rules or whatever and OH MY GOD! I am babbling like a lunatic can you come over right now? Please?"

"Dels, breathe! Chill! the meeting really sucked and not in a nice way. I am really on edge and I am not sure how good company I will be. I think I want to walk around for a little before I come over."

"Um, okay...I guess...What am I saying? Gale, I am getting the creepiest feeling. I don't know what it is, but I...I just need you to come over. I'm really worried."

"Delly," he said, "just don't. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself! I just need some space. Be patient, ok? That's what I need right now." He could hear a muffled sniff.  
_Not crying. Please not crying!_ "I just need to blow off some steam, ok. I'll be there in a half hour, or I'll call you, OK?"

"O-o-o-kay!" she sobbed quietly. "Gale? Just be careful, ok?"

"OK. I will. Thanks, Dels. You are the greatest. See you soon"

"OK. Bye." She ended the call.

He put the phone in his pocket and started walking. As distracted as he was, he realized he hadn't been paying too close attention to where he was walking. He was on a pretty dark looking street and not too sure how to get back to more familiar ones. There were some hoodie types hanging out on the corners. Gale turned into the only store that was open. _Just my luck tonight. It's a liquor store_. He approached the clerk and asked how to get back to Rose Avenue. As the clerk was explaining, a big guy came up to the counter from the back of the store and put a bottle of vodka on the counter. Gale glanced at him.

It was Cato.

He was red in the face. His hair was a mess. Snot was coming down his nose and he was sniffing furiously to try to contain it. Hi pupils were like pinpricks. No doubt about it, he was high as a kite. Cato looked up, saw Gale and with no warning at all, reached inside his jacket and pulled something out. What happened next was like slow motion.

Gale looked down and saw that Cato was holding a gun. He thought, _wow, that's a gun. I should do something. Delly is gonna flip out._ The next thing he new, there was a really loud noise, he was flat on his back and his chest hurt like hell. Then Cato was running out of the store and then everything went black.

Delly, meanwhile, was just about crawling the walls. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up. She decided to walk up the block, just in case she could see him coming. Then she heard the sirens. She just started running. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she just started running. _Oh my God, please let in not be him, please let it not be him, please let him be ok..._Adrenaline took over and she rounded a corner and there was the ambulance and three cop cars. Pumping her arms and going as fast as she could she arrived only to see Gale on a stretcher, mask on his face, bandages seemed to be everywhere.

She screamed, "GALE! NO! GALE!" Trying to get to him as the ambulance doors closed and it rushed away, strong arms held her back. Suddenly she froze, breathing heavily. She slowly turned around and faced the police officer who held her. To her surprise it was a woman. Her name tag read PAYLOR. Delly became very, very calm. Almost too calm. Officer Paylor led her to the police car. "I take it you know the victim?"

"He's my friend," Delly said, from a far away place in her mind, "No, he's...he's my lover, my friend, my touchstone, my..." She didn't cry, though she could not seem to finish her sentence.

The officer sat her in the back seat, closed the door and got in. She radioed something to the dispatcher, then turned to Delly and said,"They're taking him to St. Francis. He'll be there in two minutes. I'll take you there."

Delly looked at the officer's reflection in the rearview mirror as they began to drive away from the scene. She could see caring eyes checking back with her. Delly shook her head to focus and took a deep breath.

"Thank you," was all she could manage in words. Hope was all she could send from her heart.

When they arrived at the hospital, Officer Paylor went in first and spoke to the ER nurse at the station. Then she came to get Delly out of the car. "He's already in surgery. that's good, but it could be a while. Do you have anyone you can call to be with you while you wait?" Delly nodded, but asked Officer Paylor to help her call Annie. Her hands were shaking too much to do it on her own.

Half an hour later, a shaking Delly was being held by Annie. Cinna was there too, holding them both. Delly finally let the tears inside her escape. She let herself sob as the three of them sat in the fluorescent lit waiting room with the too bright blue chairs. In another few minutes B.T. was there. He had been talking to the police at the scene as well, telling them what he knew about Cato's probable whereabouts. He carefully sat down and held Delly's hand as Annie's arm held her still quivering shoulders and Cinna's calm brown eyes looked on. B.T. told her everything he knew. She asked some questions, amazing herself that her brain was functioning enough to do so.

It had been three hours and a doctor came to speak to them. "I'm Dr. Seeder," she said. "How are you related to Mr. Hawthorne?" Delly explained that they were all close friends and that Gale's family lived many states away. Dr. Seeder explained that the gunshot was from a .38 caliber shot at close range. "By some miracle," she said, "it missed his heart and lungs. But it did some pretty nasty things to his shoulder area. He's exceptionally strong and should recover nicely as the EMT's got him to us so quickly. He will have quite a bit of pain and may require some physical therapy to fully recover. He's in recovery now. Normally we woud only allow family to see him, but if your name is Delly, he's been calling for you incessantly. You should be able to see him in about an hour, although he may not respond due to being sedated."

They thanked the doctor. Delly said she would call Gale's mom and Katniss, although she was not looking forward to it. Annie said she would stay, as well as B.T., but Delly said she was fine, and would rather that they covered for she and Gale at work tomorrow. Cinna hugged her, told her he was proud of her and that she should call him if she needed him. After they left, Delly made the dreaded calls. As she expected, Hazelle was shocked, but not panicked and calmly thanked Delly for letting her know and said she would be there on the next flight.

Katniss was more of a surprise. She yelled and cursed and yelled some more when Delly told her Gale was shot at a liquor store, not waiting to hear what he was doing there. Delly got through to her after a few more attempts, but then had to redouble her efforts to stop Katniss from coming out as well. They were both crying and consoling each other. Delly told Katniss about the weird premonitions she had that night. They agreed Gale was a lucky bastard and wound up laughing before saying goodbye.

Before long a nurse was showing her to where Gale was. He was sort of awake, Delly guessed. He had some tubes and wires going in and coming out of him. He had some huge looking traction contraption on his left shoulder. It was scary, but Delly reminded herself of what Dr. Seeder had told her about his recovery. She held his good hand and kissed it. She gently stroked his forehead and hair. His eyes fluttered open for a brief moment and he smiled and they closed again.

She stayed there, holding his hand, resting her head on the bed. She didn't know how much later, but guessed it was much later by the light coming in the windows and the crick in her neck. She raised her head and regarded the patient. As if on cue, he opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings with a sharp intake of breath.

"Dels," he croaked. "Your here."

"Of course I am, you idiot." She said, smiling with tears of relief in her eyes.

He smiled, too. "I knew you were going to be mad at me."

"Mad at you? Why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"Because I forgot my toothbrush."

She almost laughed. "That's ok. I have an extra." They looked at each other, deeper than ever before. And then it happened. As if she could no longer contain it she said, as she kissed his hand,

"I love you, Gale-man"

He pulled her toward him and said, "I love you too, Dels."


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, kids. Here's a short one. A bit of filler, really, setting the stage for more stuff to come. Un-beta'd, it's probably full of errors, but you're probably used to that. Hope you enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated.**

####################################

Gale was sleeping and Delly was sitting in the same bedside chair, reading poetry. A year ago, if she had just told someone she loved him, she would probably be looking for the closest stairs to the roof in order to fling herself off of it. But, just like so many things with Gale, her declaration felt natural and right.

And that's why she also knew she would stay with him, no matter what lay ahead, as long as he needed her. Despite her fears about how long Gale's road to recovery would be, how much pain he would suffer, what would happen to his work, she still had hope for them. She still believed that together they could face anything. Smooth sailing or rough seas, she had faith in their ship.

Hazelle looked bone tired when she arrived. Gale was sleeping again as his mother entered the room. Delly greeted her with an equally tired look and asked if she wanted some coffee or something. Hazelle suggested they both should step out so they wouldn't wake him. As she rose, Delly gently kissed his sleeping forehead. Hazelle offered her hand and the two women walked down the hall to the now empty lounge. They sat down next to each other, still holding hands.

Hazelle said, "I can see you've been taking good care of him. I want to thank you for that. But, I have to tell you that when you called, I felt almost the same way as I did when his father died. I just felt as if there were a huge hole in me. How did it all happen?"

Delly replied, "Mrs. Hawthorne, er, Mrs. Abernathy, I just hated making that call. I can only imagine what it was like to hear that news from so far away. I wasn't with him when it happened. It was the oddest thing, though; I had this sort of premonition the whole night that something bad was going to happen. Gale was supposed to come over to my place and he was late and I went to the corner to see if I could see him and then I heard the sirens..." She took in a big breath and let it out slowly. She was feeling that same panic she had felt that night. She looked at his mother, who had the same strong, steady granite colored eyes as he did. This woman had endured so much, but still had real strength to meet any challenge. Inspired by the thought of Hazelle's strength, Delly continued, "I don't know how I got there, really. I was just sort of on autopilot. When I got there he was being taken away in an ambulance. It was so horrible! I didn't know what happened - I just saw the blood and police and a liquor store - I didn't know what to think. I couldn't think! The police brought me here and it seemed like forever that I waited to hear he was o.k.. Later, I found out from his friend, B.T., that he had just gone into the liquor store to ask for directions. He was listening to the clerk and some crazy guy came up to the counter. The guy had an argument with Gale at his AA meeting and got thrown out of the meeting and apparently was really high and just pulled out his gun and shot Gale!"

"Did they catch him yet?'

"I don't know...I've pretty much been here since it happened. I haven't talked to B.T. yet today. I really haven't thought about it. It does scare me to think of someone out there who could want to hurt him again. "

Hazelle looked tired, but managed a smile. "Delly dear, you love him, don't you."

"I surely do!" tumbled out of Delly's mouth before she even realized it. She looked away and continued, "So much of my life I lived behind a wall. With Gale there is no wall. We help each other feel, like deep down, honest feelings. I never knew I could feel so much. And I told him I love him..and..he told me he loved me too." Her eyes glistened as she remembered that beautiful moment. Hazelle's patient, kind eyes looked a little misty as well. "The thought of losing him is so scary. I mean, the doctors and nurses say he's doing fine: he didn't lose a lot of blood and the bullet missed his heart and lungs. And he's so strong and so stubborn, but, still I worry about what will happen next. Oh, Mrs. Abernathy, you must think I am a fool."

"On the contrary. I think you are very unique, very brave and very much in love. Now, if you don't start calling me Hazelle, then everyone including me will think that I am one hundred years old! I think we should get that coffee and then go back and check on Gale."

Delly laughed and hugged the other woman. "Thank you, Hazelle. Thank you for being so open with me. You have always been one of my heroes." They walked arm in arm as they found their coffee and continued to talk about Gale. Delly didn't feel the time was right to share all her personal growth stories with Hazelle, but she also felt she could trust this woman with anything.

She told her "hero" that she wanted to give her some time alone with Gale. Frankly she needed to go home and get a shower, if nothing else. She would be back in a few hours and then, she teased, they could fight about Hazelle staying at her place for the night, instead of a hotel.

#########

Gale awoke and was disoriented for a minute or two. What was he doing in bed? It must be noon already? Why did his body feel so heavy, especially his left shoulder? Then he remembered. The liquor store...Cato...Gun...He looked over and saw the metal rods and screws protruding from his shoulder, immobilizing it. What the hell is this thing on me? He absolutely could not lift his arm. He tried a small experiment. He tried to move his left hand. With all his strength and concentration he could only slightly move his fingers of his left hand. The pain, even through the medication he was surely being fed through the IV in his other arm, was almost overwhelming.

A single tear trickled down his cheek.

Gale was left handed.

As Hazelle entered the room, she could see his furrowed brow and knew the seriousness of his injury was becoming apparent to him. She came to him and hugged him as best she could and caressed him with a mother's love. She said, "My darling boy! I'm so sorry you're hurt, but I'm glad I'm here." She kissed his forehead. "Delly told me what she knows and I'm glad you've had her with you. But I'm here for you, Gale. I want to tell you how much I love you and how I know you are strong enough to conquer anything. I know we haven't seen much of each other lately, but I want to tell you that I have faith in you, son."

Gale couldn't contain his tears. All the times he had to be strong, all the times he was afraid, all the times he missed his dad came crashing over him like a tsunami. He cried and cried as his mother held him. She soothed him and told him "Shhhh. Hush now my son. I'm here with you. It will be alright." Through her own tears, she gave him her strength.

After a while, both their teas dried. Gale and his mom spoke for a long while about all the things they wanted to say to each other about the past. In the end, Hazelle told him her proudest moments were the little ones, like when he was reading a story to Posy, or showing Vic and Rory how some snares worked better than others, or when he and Katniss shared the unspoken appreciation for each other's company. She knew him to be kind and gentle, as well as passionate and rebellious. She always knew that he would find his true path. Had he found it yet?

For his part, Gale told her how much her love had gotten the whole family through the darkest days. How he knew no matter how badly he screwed up, she would always be there for him: perhaps with some hard truths he had to hear, but also with a loving heart. He told her how much he appreciated Haymitch's attempts to reach out to him, even though he didn't act like it at the time. And he confessed how much he missed them these last three years. He confessed that he was very scared about his future.

When Hazelle asked him about Delly, about how surprised she was to hear the bad news from her, he told her how much he had been surprised by Delly and her full, honest love.

"Ma, I think I love her. I've never known anyone so honest, who cares about the same things I care about. She has her own journey toward healing, Ma. And neither of us are perfect, but I have never felt this much about another person before. This isn't something I was planning for, but it's the best thing to happen to me in years."

They were still talking when Dr. Seeder came in. She introduced herself to Hazelle and explained Gale's wounds and how the surgery was meant to stabilize things for the immediate future, but that he would need a lot of physical therapy work and possibly more surgeries. Gale told her about his attempts to move his hand and seemed to be able to breathe again as she explained that it was much to early to try such stunts. Actually she was surprised that he had as much motion as he had. She had expected the anesthetic would not have completely worn off. She laid out the schedule for them. Depending on how well he healed, he could be out of the hospital in two weeks. His "hardware" would be off in a day or two and physical therapy would start as soon as possible thereafter.

Gale turned sort of a sickly shade and asked her if he could be weaned off his pain medication as soon as possible, to not jeopardize his recovery from alcohol. She explained they would be watching him very closely, but that pain management was about balance and would hasten the healing process if done correctly.

"Doc, what about acupuncture and other non-western methods?" Gale asked. His mother looked at him as if he had come from Mars. Dr. Seeder smiled a patient and understanding smile and said she was open to all methods that had proven results. "The powers of the spirit cannot be underestimated, Gale. But, we must always discuss your plans before you put them in action." He agreed.

Hazelle just shook her head. "Who are you and what have you done with Gale Hawthorne, please?" They all laughed.

Two and a half hours later Delly returned. She stopped at the nurses station and asked what sort of restrictions there was on Gale's diet. None, she was told. "Good, because I won't let him eat this whole pie and you all should share some." The nurse smiled and said she knew she liked that man. When Delly came in his room carrying a basket, Gale's face just about split in two with is smile.

"Dels, I thought you were an angel, but I don't think angels can even make something that smells that good. Come here, you goddess of pie!"

She gently placed the treasured basket on his lap. He opened the linen covering the pie, breathed in the sweet, buttery, fruity aroma. "Oh my," was all he said.

Hazelle leaned over and gave a raised eyebrow and appreciative nod to Delly. "Young lady, that is a fine lookin' pie."

Delly smiled, clearly pleased with her accomplishment. She said, "I hope it tastes as good as it looks." She proceeded to take away the basket and returned with a piece for each of them. Gale looked a little dismayed at the smaller size of his. Delly, not being able to resist said, "oh, don't worry, you'll get more. The nurses are sharing the rest of this one. Besides, you have to be careful not to make yourself sick."

Hazelle asked between bites,"Delly if there is more pie like this at your apartment, you'll get no argument from me as to staying there."

"Good, " said Delly. Smiling in a slightly evil manner she glanced at Gale.

Gale said, "Why do I get the feeling that may not be so good for me? How am I going to retain any air of mystery if you two talk all night?"

Delly snorted and Hazelle cooly said,"As if this smart young lady couldn't already read you like a book." She winked at her soon-to-be host. Gale pretended to shudder in fear. Delly sat up straighter and beamed.

Later, they said their good nights, Hazelle leaving to talk to the nurses for a bit before they left. Gale patted the space next to him in his bed. Delly, thinking he had an unrealistic idea about her ability to balance on the edge, leaned up against the bed and took his right hand in both of hers as she leaned in to kiss him. He held her hands in a strong grip, up to his chest as he returned the kiss. "Mmmmm, you taste like all my favorite things," he said. She looked at him deeply and kissed him again, hoping her kiss would tell him how much he meant to her. He seemed to get the message, releasing her hands, but holding her head and returned the feeling, entwining their tongues in deep, sweet, slow measure. They released each other slowly, with promises to see each other in the morning.

As she left the room, Delly knew that her life had changed forever.

She and Hazelle made it back to her apartment. A cup of herbal tea and a brief discussion of the next days' plan and then both were off to sleep. Delly felt so good as she drifted off. So this is what it's like to love and be loved, she thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well my dears, it was a gorgeous day today. I gots myself a new phone with all sorts of cool stuff, although it is not the** _newest__._

**If I have not said so lately, I own nothing, except my new phone.**

**Bless all of you who are reading and leaving your kind words and thoughts. **

Just as Dr. Seeder promised, a few days later Gale was sitting in a wheelchair awaiting his introduction to Atala, his physical therapist. He felt just like a rabbit in a trap. Worst of all he was incredibly bored. His hand was still not responding well enough for him to sketch. He kept nodding off from the pain meds, so he couldn't really get into reading

Mostly he daydreamed about Delly. That wasn't boring, but you couldn't really say it was satisfying either. She had been at the hospital every day, but she did have to go to work and he made her go out with his mom tonight. He didn't really want either of them to see him in as much pain as he knew he would be in after his first physical therapy session. He had nearly hit the roof when his mother had inadvertently bumped his elbow.

Aching like a toothache was the almost constant worry he kept just below the surface. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to take the pain. He was worried about how the hell he was going to make a living and any semblance of sanity if he couldn't do ink. After all the swampload of shit he had waded through, wasn't it just his fucking luck to have his chosen form of creativity taken away? Beneath that worry were the embers of his old rage. He was angry again. Angry at the thought of being dependent. His expenses were minimal and Boggs had told him not to worry about work. But what if he could never draw again?

He tried to get a grip on reality: he was strong and still young. He would try everything to heal. He would learn to cope with limitations - turn them into assets. Maybe he should start trying to write with his right hand? After all, he did a lot of stuff right handed; shooting a bow, hitting a baseball, shooting baskets. The world was made for right handers and he had accommodated his whole life. Maybe it would be easier than he thought.

Maybe, but knowing his luck, probably not.

A small but formidable looking black woman came toward him. She looked him right in the eye. He knew right away she was no one to be trifled with.

"Gale?" she asked. He answered with a nod, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable in his wheelchair. "I'm Atala. I'll be your chief guide and torturer here. I want to explain your schedule and show you around a bit. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." He appreciated the way she was not cloyingly sweet, or overly peppy, like some of the staff he'd met. He reached to unlock the brake of his chair. the right side was a breeze. The left side,not so much. He tried to reach around his sling and not touch his arm, but realized he couldn't. Atala watched him, assessing him already, but made no move to help him. He asked, "Could you help me out here? I seem to be at a disadvantage."

She said, "Sure. I like the way you tried to do that yourself. You don't like being in this situation much, do you?"

"You mean there are people who do like it?"

She chuckled,"Baby, you'd be surprised. There's some folks that do all kinds of things just to get attention! But I can tell you are not one of those. You've been used to hard work. You don't like depending on others, do you?"

"Not so much."

"Well, I've got news for you. You're gonna need a lot of people's help before you're done here. I took a look at your chart and I saw that you're in recovery for alcohol abuse. Try to think about this rehab as just another step in your program. A big, painful, scary step. You ready for that?"

Gale thought for a second. Then he said, "Wow. I never thought of it that way... This really could be a lucky thing for me. This might teach me something I've really needed to learn, but couldn't see before. Thanks, Atala. Let's roll!"

She smiled at him and pushed his chair through the doors to the rehab unit. An hour later, she had given him the tour, showed him some exercises, manipulated his arm a bit, from which he had almost passed out. He liked her very much and she seemed to like him as well. She got the recovery bit, too. The last thing she asked him was, "Have you called your sponsor?" It was a revelation in itself.

When Delly came by later, Gale was all full of smiles. After dinner, Delly had convinced Hazelle to go to bed early. Hazelle seemed ready to sleep at dinner and didn't complain at the suggestion. Delly was relieved. She wanted to talk to Gale alone for a minute. She had been a bit worried about him; seeing through his tough guy act, but scared all the same for how much pain he must have been in. So when she walked into his room, seeing him in a regular chair instead of bed and reading a self help book, it was as if a great big weight had been lifted from her.

She kneeled down in front of him, smiling up in adoration. He beamed at her, so proud of something, she thought.

"Hey, babe. You look a lot better than when I left." He stretched his hand to her face and kissed her hello. "You taste good, too. How was your day?"

"That is kind of hard to answer. Well, it's complicated." Delly arched an eyebrow, but waited for him. "OK, I'll just babble and you jump in anywhere."

"Deal. So what's up?"

"I bet I don't have to tell you I am pretty freaked out about this whole scene. I was kind of sliding right back into my old angry kid self. I was really scared of how much this recovery crap was going to hurt. Like I was afraid of the pain. Me, Mr. ToughGuy."

Here, Delly just nodded. She rubbed his thighs in encouragement. Gale continued.  
"Well, I'm really worried that I won't get the use of my arm enough to go back to being a tattoo artist. I was getting really wound up about it and could feel myself getting angry as well. Like I was mad at myself and mad at the world and just wanted to shut it all out, you know? Anyway, that, as we know is not a good place for me. So then I met my physical therapist, Atala. Let me tell you that woman opened my eyes. Well, she literally made my eyes just about pop out of my head when she moved my arm. Jesus Christ that hurt like a sonofabitch! Anyway, she reminded me that his whole deal is just a step in my program. She said it was a 'big, painful,scary' step. She really gets it, you know. And she reminded me to call my sponsor, which I did. And I know I have tons of support form Ma and especially from you. I just have to be really up front about what I need and try to be aware of what you need too."

Delly almost whispered, with glistening eyes, "Oh, Gale-man. You are so amazing." She lifted herself up and gave him a slow, deep, rich kiss. Gale felt that full, beautiful feeling again. He gazed into her eyes. "I think I can do this, Dels." She smiled and kissed him again. He put his good arm around her and pressed her gently too him as his tongue parted her lips. She drank him in like a woman who had just crossed the desert. Their breath became hot and heavier. She wove her fingers in his hair and he dove his tongue into her mouth, dancing with joyful hunger. She broke from him, her lips swollen and looked up to him again, asking silent purchase to explore. He smiled a mischievous smile that cleared the way. With a playful pout, she said,"Hospital gowns suck. How am I supposed to ravish your neck if you're all covered up?" He snorted and said, "Maybe you can ravish me somewhere else?"

"Oh. My. God. You make me wild. Shall I shut the door?"

"I think that would be wise."

She practically leaped to the door and gave them the privacy they needed. "This is really sexy in a perverted gee-I-hope-we-don't-get-caught way," she quipped.

"Listen, after all the tubes and needles that have been put in all sorts of places on my body, I have very little pride left. Just get over here so we can get dirty!"

Delly giggled and kneeled before him again. "Just relax, Gale-man. Let me take care of you." She began at his feet, rubbing them, kissing them. Was every part of his gorgeous? Then she slowly drew he hands up his calves, scraping ever so enticingly as she climbed up to his knees. Up, up she stroked his outer thighs, pushing up the well worn gown, inch by inch. Gale was panting now, his head back, eyes shut tight. As he hands came under him and grabbed his ass he grabbed the arm of the chair until his knuckles where white, moaning none too softly. Delly pursued further, coming up over his thighs raking her nails through the soft curls under his briefs. He snapped his head forward and, mouth open, eyes blazing, grabbed her hair in his fist and pulled her into a kiss like a bonfire. Her hands still lingered in the elastic of his shorts. She could feel how hard he was, she wanted to touch his penis, play with his balls, make him shout. She broke from that fiery kiss and said in a lusty tone, "I want to make you come, but I don't want to hurt you. I swear, you are the sexiest man on earth." He nibbled at her neck and whispered in her ear, "be gentle with me, m'lady. Do what your loving heart tells you and I will bear the pain."

So she inched her way with both hands to his velvet shaft. She thought it was perfect and stroked it with only one finger curled around it. Her other hand pulled down the confining material and then reached for his balls and held them as if her fingers were a nest and he was a baby bird. As she stroked his shaft again she added another finger. Then her thumb wrapped around and she made a perfect ring to increase his manhood. Gales face became red, his breath hard, teeth clenched, right hand gripping the armrest of the chair. He groaned with pain and pleasure. Delly watched him in awe. He was unbelievable! She now was rubbing him harder and faster, sped on by his moans and gasps. Veins in his neck and head standing out, sweat poring from him he cried, "Oh God, Dels, I'm gonna come!"

"Then come my lord!"

He exploded and sank back exhausted, holding his injured arm and rocking back and forth.

Delly sprang to get a towel and help him clean himself. She gave his cock a sweet little peck of a kiss when she was done.

"Dammit, woman. That may have been the best hand job in history! Don't start me up again or you'll kill me. "

She stood above him. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. But you are the most perfectly beautiful human I have ever seen. I loved seeing you come."

"That was as close to pie as we may get for a while, babe."

"I don't mind, lover. Maybe you can study up and impress me with your own tricks soon."

They both laughed. He opened his arm and beckoned for her to sit on his lap. She hesitated a bit, not wanting to hurt him again. He gave her a come-on-now-aren't-we-past-this look. She complied and he snuggled up against her ample bosom. She smoothed his hair back. They were quiet for a little while. She kissed his hair and said shyly, "When you get out of here, why don't you move in with me?"

Without hesitation he squeezed her tight and said, "OK." then they were quiet again.

They sat together like that in glowing silence until it was time for Delly to go. Gentle kisses said everything between them. She slowly rose and went to the door.

"Good night. I love you." she said.

"Good night. I love you too." he replied. As she left, he relaxed with a sigh and thought what a wonderful, crazy day it had been. Shortly, a nurse came in, helped him get back into bed. He gave him his nighttime painkiller, seemingly unaware of what had gone on earlier. Or at least he was too polite to say anything. Gale fell asleep almost instantly and dreamed of Delly and he in a meadow on top of a mountain, surrounded by beautiful vistas. Warm and safe, they lay in the grass in each other's arms. As he slept, a smile was on his face.

Next morning as Delly and Hazelle were drinking coffee, Delly had a far away look in her eye. Hazelle imagined she had seen that look before, if not had it herself. She grinned and felt great hope for her son, with this loving girl at his side.

They spoke about the plans for the day. Delly explained the bus routes and directions to the hospital. She gave Hazella map and showed her where the cafe was that she worked. Since Annie had been covering for her for days, Delly had to pull a double. Hazelle was going to call Gale and find out what his schedule was, then she would plan her visit to the hospital. She also had to call Haymitch and see how things were at home. She planned on staying only a few more days. She told Delly she would call her later.

Delly went to work on a cloud. As she sat on the bus, she gazed out the window. She had just asked Gale Hawthorne to move in with her! She made a reminder to call Cinna and talk through the plans, but she could hardly contain her happiness. Who would have thought a crisis like this would give her the courage she needed to risk asking him? She could hardly believe it.

The hours at work sped by. Hazelle called and said things were fine at home. She said Gale was having another good day. She had met Atala and was impressed by her straightforward yet sensitive manner. The two women chatted a bit more. Then Delly realized she hadn't told Hazelle about Gale moving in. She apologized, but Hazelle said that was alright, Gale had mentioned it to her. Hazelle gave them her blessing. "Who knows," she said, "maybe Katniss and Peeta won't be the only ones getting married?" Delly laughed and they rang off. She hung up the phone and continued to float around work on a dream cloud.

She called Gale on her evening break. It was so good to hear his voice. He told her of his great mountain top dream. She asked him how his pain level was. He gave a good solid 4, but thought it was because Atala had been very thorough in her torture. She told him about her conversation with his mom. He got a little quiet.

"Why so quiet, buddy?"

"I was just thinking about what it would be like to be married to you. I liked the idea. How about you?"

She felt a small amount of panic creep up her spine. "Gale, I love you, but you're freaking me out a little. I mean, I..I...Oh God!"

"Don't flip out, Dels! I'm not asking you to marry me...yet."

"Phew! I mean...Oh God!"

Gale laughed a full belly laugh. "We are quite the pair, are we not, Ms. Cartwright!"

"At lest you can form full sentences. And you're the one on drugs right now!" they laughed together.

"Hey, I was talking to the doc about the whole acupuncture thing and she seemed pretty hip to it. B.T. was going to do some checking for me. Maybe that way I can be on less drugs. What do ya think about that?"

"I think you are the most awesome man on the planet. Hey, I got to go back to work. I love you and I'll be up to see you in the morning."

"OK, love. Fair warning, the nurses have been asking for more pie. Especially that guy Pollux."

"I'll see what I can do. Nite."

"Nite."

Soon her shift was over. She went straight to bed, exhausted. The last thing she remembered was that weird almost proposal conversation she and Gale had. She wasn't quite sure why she had panicked.

She dreamt it was night in some unknown forest. The trees were huge and dark, with gnarled limbs and spooky shadows. She was trying to find a path, she was looking for someone, but she didn't know who it was. She had to tell the unknown person something important. What was it? she was forgetting what the message was.

Then, in her dream, she heard Gale calling for her, crying out for help. She was running to where she heard his voice, but she couldn't see him. He was screaming now and she was running fast, branches whipping her. She stumbled over some tree roots. Gale screamed again. She ran as fast as she could and then there he was, tied to a tree and a man was hacking at him with a sword. It was Cray! Again and again Cray slashed at him, blood coming everywhere. Delly screamed and sat up in her bed.

Hazelle was there in an instant, comforting the shaking, sobbing Delly. "It...It was awful! Gale...he was tied to a tree..and Cray was there..and he was killing him!" She cried. Hazelle held her and rocked her like a child. After a while she coaxed Delly into getting up and going to the kitchen for a drink of water.

When Delly had collected herself, she decided it was time to tell Hazelle about everything. Hazelle looked shocked as the story unfolded, but Delly pressed on. When she was done, Hazelle took a moment. Then she said, "You are just as brave and special now as before you told me this story. Now I understand why you and Gale are so good for each other. You both have suffered in your won ways. You bring peace to each other. I think your dream was just the left over part of you that is afraid to let people truly in. But tell me this, do you trust my boy?"

"With all my heart."

"Well, then. You had best tell him how you really feel so that you can keep on trusting him."

"You're right. Thank you so much, Hazelle. I'm so glad you're here with me." They embraced again and shortly after said good night.

The next day, Delly got up extra early, not really having slept all that well after the nightmare. She decided to "work it out" with some pie. As she rolled the dough and lifted it into the pie plate, she remembered what Cinna once told her. He had said once that she tended to think that bad things happen because she was bad. That it was common among survivors. He also told her "Although it may effect you, what someone else is feeling is not necessarily about you. It's nothing you can control and that's scary. But, it's also liberating to know that, while you are not in control, you are also not responsible. It's not about you."

That's it, she thought. It's not about me. Gale was just saying how he felt, not looking for me to say anything in return. He is on his own journey to discover his own lesson. He is inviting me to share it. Hell, I invited him to share my home!

She finished the pie (apple raisin) and got ready to go. She felt much better. Wasn't it always the way with pie? She could hardly wait to get on the bus and get to the hospital so she could see him and talk to him.

When she arrived, she dropped off the pie to the delight of the staff, who directed her down to the rehab unit. When she turned the corner she heard it.

She heard him scream.

She froze and then moved slowly toward the doors. She saw him on a table with a small woman manipulating his arm. She did not go to him. She stood, trembling slightly at the doors. She swallowed hard as she watched him suffer. Breathe, just breathe, she managed to tell herself. After a short while, the session stopped. The woman helped him sit up. He was bare chested, wearing sweatpants. His chest heaved up and down in relief and pain. The woman gently rubbed his back and said simply, "That was good work." they turned and saw Delly. Gale looked a bit embarrassed but then reached out for her. Delly came to him, still so afraid of what she saw and took his hand in both of hers.

"Atala, I'd like you to meet Delly. Dels, this is my chief torturer, Atala"

"Pleased to meet you Delly. That is one great guy you got there."

"Yup. He sure is." Delly said. Atala's assured tone did a lot to calm Delly's nerves. She looked at Gale and let out a big breath she did not even know she had been holding. "I had a scary dream about you last night. You were screaming in the dream and then when I came here I heard you scream again. I think I just had a mini-nervous beakdown!"

"Oh, I've had at least five of those today. We are on some kind of roller coaster, aren't we, Dells?"

"Well, I guess it's better than being boring."

"No one, dear lady, would accuse you of being boring."

A/N I am totally making up all this hospital stuff, as any of you with real knowledge or time to research stuff can tell. I am also making up this 12 step stuff and hope to God I am not offending anyone who has experienced it themselves. I am just letting these characters talk to me.

I wanted to write about Gale and what his life might have been like in District 2 if he had wanted to heal himself. I wanted to make it AU because I just find it more entertaining and I don't have to worry about cannon so much. Also, that picture prompt of Ro-Nordman's spoke to me on a personal level. Delly's journey also incorporates som autobiographical stuff. Youknow how stuff is, right? So. tell me if you like it, or hate it. Next chapter will have some wedding developments...Are you ready?


	7. Chapter 7

**Well my dears, who would have thought a stressed out old bag like me would have 7 chapters in her? Hope you enjoy this one.**

**As has been said before, I own no part of any characters or nuffin.**

**Ch 7 - connections**  
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Within a week of the shooting, Gale was fully involved with his treatment. He plunged ahead with physical therapy as if something was chasing him. Something was; his fear of relapse. He had daily check-ins with Chaff his sponsor. Atala and he had established a regular, although still very painful schedule. He figured the more he put into his regime, the less time he had to dwell on morbid thoughts of his future.

A new element had been introduced in the form of a most unusual acupuncturist. Gale thought she might have been the most unusual person on the planet, if indeed she was from _**this**_ planet. Dr. Tigris, as she called herself, appeared to be of indeterminate age. Her life story was almost as mysterious as her appearance. She was covered in tattoos and had shaved her head. Her remaining hair was gray, but her face bore no wrinkles at all. With wide set almond-shaped eyes and high cheekbones, she had a definite Asian air to her appearance. When she spoke, she did so in a low, guttural tone, but with a refined English accent. B.T. had done his homework, however and came highly recommended. She and Dr. Seeder and Atala seemed to work well together, despite her strange and mysterious ways.

Gale recalled their first meeting. The unusual woman peered down at him as he was resting on a table in the rehab unit. He opened his eyes and nearly fell off at the sight of her. Her lips curved up in the slightest smile.

"You are called Hawthorne, are you not?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I am Dr. Tigris. I do not usually see patients outside my office, however, your case interested me, due to the remarkably open and intelligent approach of your surgeon, Dr. Seeder. I find your physical therapist, Atala, to be most intelligent as well. Now I am here to assess your worthiness for my services."

"What would you like to know about me? I don't know what would make me worthy in your eyes." Gale was wondering if a test was involved...

"That is an acceptable question. You do not think like many others. Why do you want to use acupuncture?"

"Let's see... First, I have great respect for non-western medicine and culture. Second, I know people who have been helped by acupuncture. Third, it can't hurt any more than Atala's torture chamber. Fourth, but maybe most importantly, I have been in recovery from alcohol abuse for the last two years and I want to limit the number of substances I put in my body."

"Hmmmm." She practically purred. "Hawthorne, I will take your case. You are a friend of Mr. B.T. and I respect him highly. I can also see that you are searching for the right path and I believe I can help you. We will attempt to re-balance your qi. We will begin tomorrow. Do you meditate?"

"I've read about meditation and I've tried yoga, but I don't yet have a regular practice. I've always been anxious to learn." Geez, he felt like a stupid high school kid again. Did he really make that lame excuse?

Dr. Tigris let that tiny smile appear again. "Meditation is essential to clearing the mind of confusion and obsession. It is required preparation for any of my patients. Here is my book on the subject."

Gale hesitated. How much would this cost? He thought, but did not speak his concern. But Dr. Tigris seemed to sense his question. She said, "Hawthorne your employer has arranged for payment of all charges not covered by your health insurance. I sense you do not want to be in anyone's debt. Let me tell you this: trees do not stand too close together in the forest, neither do they stand too far apart. Why is that? It is because they, and we, are all connected. What you take in gratitude today you will give back with an open heart tomorrow."

And then she left. Since that day he had seen her four times. Each time she blew his mind away with more wisdom. He was so busy opening his heart to her wisdom that he almost forgot about his pain. And his fear.

###################

Gale's mother had returned home after a week. It was a tearful goodbye between she and Delly. They had stood on the porch of Delly's house waiting for the taxi that would take her to the airport. Hazelle encouraged her to call. Delly promised she would. She had so appreciated the support and affection of the older woman. After getting to really know Hazelle, she knew where Gale got his gentle strength from. Hazelle had told her, "Delly, every life has some story of pain and suffering. It's what makes us human. It's what gives us compassion. You have a great deal of compassion. You are also stronger than you know.

When Gale's father died, I did not know how I could go on, but I did. I had the kids and no time to really sit and wallow in my misery. But, I'll tell you, I never thought about what it would be like to be happy again until I found Haymitch. We both had our share of pain, but now we are both each other's joy. So I am glad you found my boy and he found you. You deserve to be just as happy as anyone else. I hope to see you dancin' with Gale at that wedding!" Delly thanked her and hugged her. She realized how much she missed her own mom at that moment. Hazelle got in her cab and was gone. Delly went inside and called her brother, Niall. She really needed to hear her little brother's voice.

"Hi, baby bro. How's it goin'?"

"Hey sis! It's great to her from you. You just caught me before I go to my next class. Things are going good. I'm interviewing for an internship with a really great architectural firm. They are into sustainable methods and design. I'm psyched. What about you?"

"Well, I'm ok, but there has been some heavy stuff happening lately. I'm sorry I didn't call you before, but I kinda didn't want to lay this stuff on you. Now I realize that was a big mistake. You're a grown man, Niall and I should start treating yo like one."

"OK, so now I'm getting worried, Delly. What heavy stuff are you talking about?"

"Don't worry," Delly said, trying to remain calm." I'm really ok. Let's see, where do I start...OK, so you remember Gale Hawthorne, right?"  
"You mean the incredibly intimidating older brother of the fair Posy? Yup. Not an easy guy to forget. What about him."

"Well, we've been seeing each other for a few months and we've been getting really close..."

"Delly, are you pregnant?" Niall broke in.

"God NO!" She screamed. "No, we haven't even done the deed yet. But I really care about him - even used the "L word"..."

"Lesbian?" Niall teased.

"NO! Stop being funny!"

"OK, OK. So what about Gale?"

"He got shot. He's been in the hospital and is recovering and we love each other and when he gets out he's moving in with me. There. I said it! Niall?" There was a pause on the other end.

"Sis, I'm not sure, but did you just say that Gale Fucking Hawthorne was going to move in with you?"

"I did."

"Are you happy?"

"Delirious! Well, except for the part where he got shot."

"Then I think it's just great. Weird. Definitely will take some getting used to, but great. Look you are my big sister and you've given up so much for me, for which I am eternally grateful and I love you to death. I am so glad that you have finally done something for yourself that makes you happy. I mean, I was worried that when you moved away from home after all those recovered memories came back, well, that you would be really lonely. I am so glad that you have someone to love. Delly, you are so full of love it comes busting out of you! Now, the only bad part is that I will have to try to kick Hawthorne's ass if he hurts you. And, like I said, he is one intimidating motherfucker."

"Oh, Niall! I know it's weird. It blew me away at first, but he is a really good person. He makes me laugh and he makes me feel good. He doesn't mind that I'm not perfect. I think he likes it, actually. He has his own demons he's been battling and we are really good for each other... I love him." Suddenly she felt as if a giant stone had been rolled away. She had told her baby brother that she loved Gale. She felt a whole layer of doubt slide off of her. They chatted easily for a few more minutes and then signed off.

She went to work that day and sailed through her shift. She called Gale at her break, but kept the conversation short. She had planned on stopping by the hospital after work on her way to an individual session with Cinna. She had not been to group since the shooting and she frankly did not feel up to sharing all that had happened without sorting through the feelings herself. No way could she stand having emotional daggers thrown at her by Clove! So she hurried home, picked up a little something she had gotten for Gale and practically ran to the hospital.

Gale was sitting in his chair, looking out the window. His brow was furrowed and moist with sweat. His eyes half closed in pain, he was holding a stress ball in his left hand. He turned his head and gave a weak smile to her as she came crashing in.

"Hi handsome," she said as she kissed him hello.

"Hi beautiful," he replied.

"I brought you something," she said, extending her hand with a bight blue bag tied with a yellow ribbon. Gale opened up the bag. He looked inside and looked back up with a puzzled expression.

"Dels, scissors?"

"Yeah, smart guy. They're for your manual dexterity. And they're left handed. You've probably been cutting things with your right hand your whole life."

"Wow. You never cease to amaze me, Ms. Cartwright. Although my hand already feels like it's going to burst into flames just from squeezing this little ball. I guess I know why they call them "stress" balls."

"Oh no, don't you think you'll be ready to try them?" She looked kind of hurt, like the kid at the birthday party who gave the really dumb present.

"Can we take a walk and talk about this? I am dying to get outside. These walls are starting to close in on me."

"For you, my lord, anything." She shifted herself under his good arm and helped him get up. Despite his amazing progress, he was still very weak. His therapy took a lot out of him and she could feel how tired he was as he leaned against her for support. They slowly walked down the hall toward the elevators, stopping to check in with the nurses.

They found a courtyard and sat a bit. It was twilight and the autumn air was cool. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into him. He let out a long, slow breath. He always felt more relaxed around her. He smiled at her, but she could see he was still worried.

"Dels, I know this recovery gig is going to be a long road. It's already really frustrating and I'm really needing my art right now. And I can't even get close to drawing yet! I mean, all this emotional stuff I've been going through...we've been going through...it's like it's all percolating inside of me. I feel like I'm about to scream or cry every damn day." His voice cracked ever so slightly here. She raised a comforting hand to his chest, being careful of his sling. He looked down at her and then rested his cheek against her hair. He took a few ragged breaths. She could hear his heart beat faster. She wanted to comfort him, hold him. She wanted to say something.

"Sweetheart, I've been thinking a lot about you and your art. I may not be an artist like you, or Peeta, but, I do know how much pleasure I get out of doing creative things. And I know how important it is to you. Maybe you're not able to draw yet, but we can figure out something. Maybe we can do something together?"

"Like what?" he asked, a slight tinge of pessimism in his tone.

"I don't know. Maybe we could do collage, or what do you call those box things...assemblage. You know, like that mother and daughter artist team we saw at the art gallery. Bettye Saar, right?"

"Right. Bettye and Allison," he said with a far away look. He clearly was thinking. A moment later he seemed to have a breakthrough and squeezed her tight. "You are a freaking miracle, you know that! This could be really cool. Maybe we could even make something for Catnip and Perfect Mellark. What do you think about that?"

"I think you are a genius, Mr. Hawthorne." He released his hold on her and she raised her hand to his face, now slightly in shadow from the darkening sky. He kissed her, slow and deep and then rested his forehead to hers.

"I hate to leave you now, but I do have to go meet Cinna, " she said.

"OK," he said, not moving. "Will you be back tomorrow?"

"Yes, baby. Just like every day. Tomorrow we should talk more about you moving in."

A huge grin appeared on his face. "Yeah, moving in." He kissed her again, with small, sweet nuzzles on her neck. She felt the buzzing in her guts that he obviously knew he created every time he touched her neck. Ooooh how does he do that and don't stop, don't stop, don't stop...

"OK, I gotta get outta here before I'm late for Cinna. See you tomorrow, love."

"Tomorrow, then." He slowly released her, still holding her hand as she turned away. "Oh, and Delly?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the present."

And she thought she could catch a glimpse of that boy he used to be, who knew the present was kind of lame, but liked it anyway.

Delly smiled and waved as she went back into the building. She smiled all the way to Cinna's office and didn't even care if she looked like an idiot.

When she arrived at Cinna's, she realized she actually was a few minutes early. It was just before 8:00 and she would have to wait about 15 minutes. She sat down and closed her eyes and tried to remember that beautiful grin Gale had on at the thought of them moving in together. She tried to think about how she would tell Cinna about everything that was happening: getting close to Hazelle and calling her brother. working on Gale's rehabilitation and art together, making a gift for Katniss and Peeta...she drifted off to a little daydream of picking out paints with Gale to set up an art room at her place, goofing around with paint and getting it all over themselves. She dreamed about cleaning it off of his face, smiling and then kissing him and kissing him and kissing him again and again...

The door opened and another client came out with Cinna. As he said goodbye to the man, Cinna warmly clasped his hand and said, "See you next week, Gloss. Remember what we discussed." The man nodded, his overly tanned, overly groomed face looking very sad. Cinna turned to Delly, "Well, You look great, Delly. Definitely better than when I saw you last. Come in, won't you?" Delly rose and followed his welcoming gesture.

When her 45 minutes were over, Cinna and she embraced. He told her he was so proud of her. He was proud of the risks she was taking. He reminded her, though, that her issues with boundaries would be coming up a lot. He warned her to be careful to listen to all the parts of herself, happy and sad and scared and suspicious. He had suggested she keep track by keeping a journal of sorts. She knew he was right, this wasn't some Lifetime Channel movie. She knew there would be times she and Gale wouldn't be perfect with each other. His journey was going to be a long one and she wouldn't always know what to do or say to help him. Beyond that, she had to remember to take care of herself. Yoga every day, keeping up with her other friends, coming to group; all of this was good for her and therefore good for Gale and she together.

As she made her way home she felt tired, but good. She made a quick list of things to talk to Gale about tomorrow. She knew if she wrote them down, right or wrong, the list would keep her honest with herself and with him. She felt good about all the promises to herself she had kept. She had promised herself that she would not just jump headlong into trying to save Gale: she didn't want to fall back into old habits of being "super helpful" and losing herself in the process. She needed to have honest but tedious talks about money and expectations around housework. She expected Gale to make all kinds of adjustments to living with someone again. She hoped he wouldn't think too much about his past with Maysilee. She would need to remind him not to be strong for her, to let her help him, but to tell her when she was doing something wrong. The more she thought about it, this horrible accident would actually be good for them. It would force them to talk about things many couples avoided. A good foundation, she thought, for a long life together.

Wow. "life together?" _**Wow**_.

As she walked inside her home, her phone was buzzing. It was Peeta! What a surprise! She filled him in on all the details of Gale's treatment plan and moving in, most of which he knew from Hazelle. Still, it felt great to talk as they used to. For his part he told her how the wedding plans were progressing.

"Delly, Katniss and I have been talking a lot about the ceremony. We do not want it to be exactly what everyone expects. Not that Katniss has ever cared what anyone else thought, but we want this to be really special. So, anyway, will you, ah...will you be my best man?"

"What? Peeta that is so cool! Of course I will! I'd be honored. What do I have to do? Oh no. Do I have to give you a stag party? That can be some pretty sexist stuff, you know."

"Nah, forget about it. The last thing I need is some stripper's boobs in my drink. Let's talk about it with the other guys and see what we can come up with. Delly, you're my best friend. I remember when Katniss and I almost broke up that summer before college. If it weren't for you, we probably would never have made it."

"Aw, shucks, Peeta. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?" The two old friends continued their talk for a while longer. God it felt so good to have someone reach out to her. Later that night, when her head hit the pillow she was out in a minute. A rich, restful, dreamless sleep washed over her. The next morning she woke up, did her morning sun salutation and moved along in her day.

Many thanks, my friends, for your kind thoughts and words. You really give me a lift when I see your names. I have no idea what's next for these two, but hopefully inspiration will hit soon. Feel free to share any ideas you have. Come see me on tumblr - same name. Ta-ta for now! - jane


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi all you Gelly/Dale shippers. I'm sorry I have not updated more regularly. Real work and church work have kept me hoppin. I was also a wee bit stuck. Thanks to my new friend, chele20035, I was inspired. Here's to you Mean Mommy!**

**Imagine this chapter is a few weeks after Gale is out of the hospital and he and Delly are living together.**

**My feeble attempts at smut lie within this chapter. I have such tender feelings for these characters that I was really afraid to take them there. But I think it's time now. My hope is that the movement of the piece let's you see and feel what you want to in their places. So please enjoy!**

Delly got home from work after a crazy day at the coffee shop. There were non-stop customers and it seemed like very few of them had any sense of humor. Then the new fancy steam machine decided to almost blow up...Boy was she glad to get home!

Home. Home to Gale. Just thinking about it made her head buzz. Gale had moved in about three weeks ago. They had made her spare room into a studio of sorts. It was a bit of a challenge for them. Turns out Gale was a bit particular about how the room should be set up. Turns out Delly didn't much care for his system, or for being told what to do. In fact their exchanges became quite heated.

"Far be it from me to criticize, Gale, but if you put those brushes up there I will never be able to reach them," she had said to him, hands on hips.

"Well, Delly, I guess you'll have to just ask for someone with longer arms to help you."

"But, we'll be using them all the time! I don't want to have to ask every time I want something for you to come and help me, like i'm a kid or something!"

He had actually glared at her. "Look, I don't trust my shoulder yet, ok?! I need top shelf things to be things I can grab with one hand, ok?! You think I liked having to ask for help all the time? Like when I couldn't tie my shoes? Get over it, ok!" He had stormed out, slammed the door, yelling that he was going for a walk.

In that instant she had felt completely stupid. She almost ran after him to apologize. Then she thought it might be good for them to take a breath - they had been almost on top of each other for most of the day. In fact the only time they weren't together was when she was at work. He had been back to Boggs' shop, but hadn't really done any ink or real drawing yet. It was frustrating for both of them, but Gale had lots of little eruptions of temper. It scared him more than her, so half the time they tip-toed around each other to avoid conflict. Today had been one of those days and they both needed to get the tension out of their system. Delly put on some Stevie Wonder and was singing at the top of her lungs "Golden lady, golden lady, I'd like to go there..." as she cleaned the bathtub with vigor.

A while later she heard the front door close and felt relieved and shy at the same time. Gale wasted no time finding her in the kitchen, making tea for him. Two cups were on the table, with a plate of gingersnaps. She was standing there, not knowing what to say. She looked like she was waiting for him to say something. He couldn't look at her right away, because he was worried, too. He hung his head and ran his hand through his raven hair.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Me too," he said. "I guess we're gonna have a lot of those little dust ups, huh?"

"I guess so. And it's usually about dumb stuff, too. I mean, I don't think where the brushes go is that big a deal for me. Really not as big a deal as having you here and feeling comfortable."

And just like that, the glacier between them began to melt. Gale came across the room and hugged her. He kissed her hair and said, "I'm sorry too, I promise not to run away next time." She nodded her head against his chest as she squeezed him just a bit too tightly. They released each other and she poured them tea, hers with milk and honey. He dunked his cookie in his mug and suggested they get out some maps and plan their trip to the wedding, just two weeks away. An hour later they were back in the studio. Delly unpacked items and laid them on the floor so Gale could consider placement carefully. They finished without another argument.

As they lay in bed later, holding each other in a tender embrace, they said little with words, but a great deal was said with smiles and long looks. They fell asleep quickly. The morning seemed to come even more quickly.

The rest of the two weeks flew by. They finished their present to Katniss and Peeta. It was a wooden box painted green on the outside and a earthy terra cotta orange on the inside. Gale had gone to flea markets and picked up many interesting items: some mismatched spoons and forks, a broken teacup with sunflowers on it, bundles of old buttons of every variety. Delly had contributed some embroidery thread and a bird's nest she had found, as well as some sea shells from a childhood vacation at the beach. With these and more items they had put together a scene that was reminiscent of the meadow back in their home town of Seam, West Virginia. they both knew that was a place of peace and love for Peeta and Katniss. The scene wasn't exactly representational, but it was funky and fun. The bird's nest had two hearts crocheted from embroidery thread. It was lined with downy feathers and bright seashells Gale and Delly were both pleased with the outcome. They hoped their friends would like it and know how much they were loved.

##########################

"Gale, wake up honey," Delly said as she had to finally admit she was going in the wrong direction for about an hour. Well, she knew she was on the way to Cinncinatti and that would add another hour and a half to their already thirteen hour drive. She just was not exactly sure how she got there. Gale stretched, cat-like. His shoulder was still healing and he used a sling often when he was tired, but he no longer took any pain medication and Dr. Tigris had reduced his treatment schedule to once every two weeks. Atala saw him twice a week, but still managed to find new and interesting ways to torture him. Still, he was light years ahead of where he was three months ago.

"Dels, where in the hell are we?"

"I'm not quite sure how this happened, but I think we are headed to Cinncinatti. Can you get the map out? These interstates are getting monotonous and I think we need a detour."

"What time is it? Why didn't you wake me up?" He sure was grumpy, she thought. What she said was, "you're so cute when you sleep. Not so much when you wake up." Gale looked at the map for a minute and told her she was actually doing fine. "You're right about a detour. I feel like a little exploring."

"I feel like peeing," she said.

They had left at the break of dawn from Tulsa. The weather had been fine and the car they had rented seemed to be doing ok, too. It was a Nissan Cube. Gale liked the fact that it had a lot of headroom. Delly thought it was cute a quirky. "Just like us," she had said.

So they now accepted the fact that they would be later than expected, but they were a few days before the wedding anyway. So they got off the interstate and followed their noses until they came upon a place called Great Serpent Mound State Park. The site was a prehistoric Indian mound in the shape of a giant curling snake. The head and tale had significance at the solstice and equinox times. As the lovers climbed the stairs to the overlook, they were in awe of what lay before them. They were both quiet, the way one is when one is in the presence of great magic and mystery. November days were getting shorter and the sun was just setting over where the serpent's tail coiled. All around were the soft rolling hills that in a few more miles would become the Appalachian Mountains. The leaves were beyond their peak, now in somber muted shades of brown and purple. A mysterious mist settled in the valleys.

"This is amazing. Don't you feel an ancient power here, Delly?" Gale asked. His eyes were bright and he looked like a schoolboy who had just grasped a new lesson. "These people had no internet, no cars, no shopping malls, but they took the time to make this beautiful, powerful thing. It has so much energy in it, still after thousands of years."

Delly agreed in amazement. She had no words, but reached for his hand. They stood at the top of the tower, soaking in all the beauty, all the power, all the wonder of the place. They walked back toward the ranger station, holding hands, feeling a warmth that seemed to go against the brisk temperature of the evening. Delly suggested they stay the night as close to this place as they could. Gale agreed.

As they took their leave of the place they were chatting with the park rangers. They asked the rangers where the cheapest place to stay was. The rangers said that usually camping was not allowed, but as this was not a busy time of year, they invited the couple to stay in the large tipi on the grounds. Thanking them, Gale and Delly told the rangers how impressed they were with the experience. The rangers seemed appreciative and they continued to chat as they built a campfire and shared some food. The rangers shared their knowledge of the culture that created the mound. Gale was captivated by the conversation. Delly knew there would be some kind of monumental art coming about this experience. She was so thankful to have gotten them lost in order to find this special place and time.

It had gotten quite dark. there was only a slip of a moon and it seemed as if million stars came out in the night sky. Gale had forgotten how beautiful the night sky could be away from city lights. The magic of this ancient place seeped into his very bones. He felt better than he had felt in months. He looked at Delly, whose eyes were heavy. He went back to the car for their sleeping bags, glad that Delly had insisted on bringing them. The rangers took the hint and said they would be back at 8:00 a.m. They embraced their new friends and bid them good night. Soon, Gale and Delly were cuddled up with each other and dreaming of shamans and warrior braves.

Delly woke up first, just as the sun was rising. Her sleepy eyes opened to see Gale peacefully slumbering next to her. He lay on his side, with a gentle smile on his face. She turned her body to face him. The early morning light creeped in from the tipi door flap. Just a sliver of it shone like silver on his olive skin. His hair was messy and boyish looking. His frequently furrowed brow was clear of any concern. He never slept in more than his boxers and his strong muscles were smooth and relaxed. Her heart melted at the sight of his true happiness. He looked so beautiful.

Although they had been living together for many weeks, they hadn't really had intercourse yet. There had been a lot of kissing and holding and caressing. They were both afraid of hurting him during his recovery. They also had been too careful about the many little adjustments to living together. And there was that little matter of birth control, which she had resolved before their trip. It was comical really. She'd given him a blow job in the hospital after all! But now, in the glow of the early morning light, after a magical adventure and a deep peace, all she could think of was having him inside her.

She tentatively reached out to him, stroking behind his ear, down his jaw and neck to the scar on his shoulder. She let her hand rest there, as his granite eyes opened immediately to her touch. They were dark with desire almost instantly. He raised his hand to hers and brought it gently to his mouth. He tenderly kissed each digit. She felt that buzzing in her gut, that need and in this perfect place she answered it by grabbing him behind the neck and crashing her lips into his. He responded by pulling her to him, and pressed his tongue into her mouth. They devoured each other, both on fire, not a word needed to be spoken; they both were powerless to their desire, tearing at clothes and any barrier to their joining.

Gale's right hand was on her breast, while he sucked and toyed and bit her other nipple. His left hand, although not strong enough for tattooing, was aimed truly at her clitoris, rubbing and pinching even to break the dam that held her goddess juices. He was on top of her and she writhed, not unlike a great serpent herself, with pleasured moans. His cock was like a spear shaft as he rubbed against her thigh. She wanted that shaft to spear her womb, she wanted it like nothing else. But, she had just enough rational thought to see that his left arm was shaking as he raised himself up above her. She wrapped herself around him as he entered her, head back, neck exposed, back already arched in ecstasy. She looked at him to give him a split second of warning and then flipped them over so that she was on top, but still connected to him. He laughed a fully, throaty laugh and she smiled down at him as she settled herself and slowly began rocking up and down his length. He held her thighs and ass, his taught abs crunching as his strength shattered her.

As she came she arched her back and he thought she looked like some beautiful sculpture. He marveled at her full breasts, splayed slightly with gravity, nipples defying the same law. Her beautiful, round tummy glorious and shining like a full moon in the faint light. She was like a beautiful moon woman connected to him at his very soul. As she rode the first wave, she spread her arms like some great bird, or a priestess giving thanks to the heavens. He was astonished.

She came back down on hands and knees and spoke to him in a guttural growl, "Take me again, Gale. Take me from behind." At that minute she seemed like a mountain lion, soft golden fur covering unnatural power. Not being one to deny a lady in such a moment of possession, he quickly swung out and entered her again, his cock still rock hard and covered with her and him. If she had felt warm and tight before, this was like being held in a lion's mouth. "Oh, God! Dels, you're so...so... I don't think I can hang on!" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut, lest the sight of her fabulous ass make him explode.

She purred, "I'm almost there already again, baby. Don't stop. Fuck me hard!" He shouted something older than words and grabbed her hips, pumping her like a steam engine. They rose together to the point of pleasure and pain until, with a mighty shudder, he released inside her. Exquisite release came to them both and they collapsed in a heap on each other, panting, sweating, unable to form words even if they had wanted to speak. Neither of them had to say it, as they gazed into each other's eyes. Neither of them had felt anything like that before. Gale kissed Delly's forehead; then her eyes, her nose and her lips as he gently held her quivering chin. For her part, Delly let her happy tears flow and she laughed and smiled and hugged him tight. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her again, and again, holding her tight.

They stayed like that for a long while, kissing and making love and even fucking once more, just to make sure it was real. When they became aware that soon the rangers would be returning, they hastily put on their clothes and packed up. The kindly rangers arrived with a wink and a grin and homemade granola and milk from a nearby farm. Gale and Delly ate like ravenous beasts. The handshakes and embraces were knowing and friendly between them as they got back into their rental car. The lovers and the rangers were both richer for their chance meeting. Gale said he would drive this time and Delly was only too happy to allow him. He said, "I'd get lost with you any day." She smiled.

Two and a half hours later they arrived in Seam, WV. Gale had pulled up to his family home, just to show Delly again. He had been regaling her with stories of his youth, all the fun he and Katniss had as kids. She did not know when she had last seen him so joyful. He was practically bubbly! A few minutes later they pulled in the long driveway to Haymitch's house. As he turned off the car, he reached over and grabbed her hand.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Let's go see your family." They had just stepped out of the car when a rocket with pigtails and running shorts jumped into Gale's arms. "Posy! Be careful of him!" Hazelle scolded. Not that it mattered to Gale. He hugged his little sister for all he was worth. Hazelle pried them apart and hugged him as well. "Don't you look fine, son! Are you feeling well?"

"Mom, I've never been better."

Delly came up to Hazelle, wondering if she could tell that she and her son had just had a cosmic experience that same morning. If the all-seeing mother did know, she didn't let it stop her from hugging Delly warmly. "It's so good to see you, dear. We're glad you stopped last night instead of trying to drive while you were so tired. Come on in and let the boys get your things." As she stepped inside she got another hug from Haymitch. That was a bit surprising, considering most of her memories were of him being drunk at some public function or other.

"Good to see you both," Delly said. Hazelle showed her the rest of the house, while Haymitch promised he'd help "tall dark and deadly" with unloading the car. The house was beautiful. A grand old victorian mansion, it was filled with natural woodwork and beveled windows. Despite it being so huge, it had a homey feel. It wasn't spotless, it was loved and lived in. Hazelle showed her to the room she and Gale would be sleeping in. A beautiful four poster bed with crisp linens on it beckoned to Delly. The tipi may have been magical, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Suddenly she felt a little shy. Hazelle, ever-nurturing, put a hand on her shoulder. "Delly dear, you're grown -ups, living together. You didn't think I'd keep you apart under my roof now, did you?" Delly laughed.

"It's so good to be here, Hazelle. I already feel right at home."

"Well, that was the plan. It's the least I could do, considering all you've done for my boy. By the way, he looks better than I've seen him in years. You must be doing something very right." At this she gave her a knowing smile. Delly just giggled. It was one thing for Hazelle to recognize she and Gale had sex, but it was quite another to talk to her openly about it. She would leave that task to Gale.

Vick and Rory brought in their backpacks and the gift, complaining loudly at its weight. Delly thanked them and shooed them out, anxious to take a long overdue shower. When she stepped into the shower, she nearly collapsed from the joy of it. She scrubbed herself until she was pink and squeaky. When she stepped out Gale was there, ogling her as she stood dripping in her big fuzzy towel. He looked like a wolf considering which part of the sheep to eat first.

"Gale, don't start with me!" she scolded, but more teasing than harsh. "I just got clean after all the dirty things you did to me...Which is not to say I didn't enjoy every minute of those dirty things..."

He was inhaling her clean scent. A small mew came from her as he kissed her neck and ear. He smelled pretty bad, er "manly" as her mother would have said. She couldn't care less. She dropped her towel as he backed her into the shower, just barely getting his own clothes off as he got in with her. Much giggling, scolding, teasing and pampering ensued. Thirty minutes later, they both were clean and dressed, still holding hands, still kissing. God, it was almost sickening!

As they came down the stairs all eyes were upon them. Delly almost tried to scoot away back up them in embarrassment. Gale held her fast and smiled at her. He looked at his family and said, "Give her a break already, will ya?"

Haymitch quipped, "we're just amazed at how she's humanized you in such a short time. What's your secret, Delly?"

" I shot him!" she blurted out. Everyone was quiet for one awful second and then everyone was laughing and holding their sides. Lunch proceeded with amiable conversation about their trip and the wedding plans. Gale shared a bit about the Great Serpent Mound. Delly hoped she wasn't blushing quite as much as she felt she was. Posy, just fifteen years old, but wise beyond her years was intrigued with the idea of Delly being the "best woman". Peeta and Delly had decided on bowling as their particular brand of "bachelor party" tonight. Posy didn't understand why she and Vick couldn't go. Hazelle informed her that she would have just as much fun with Katniss and her friends making pizzas at the bakery and watching movies. Haymitch suggested he would take the youngsters to the bowling alley just to say hi and give their best wishes. That lessened the pouting to some degree.

Gale said he was not entirely comfortable with the idea of Delly being the only woman in the group. Delly tried to assure him she would be stuck like glue to him all night, but Gale's old insecurities passed a grey cloud over his face.

"Alright, reality check!" she said. "Let's look at this. Neither you nor I will be drinking. Peeta definitely is not into me. Anyone else really doesn't stand a chance. You have no competition. Therefore you do not have to compete. OK? Get it? Geez!"

"OK," he said begrudgingly as she pushed his shoulder with hers. " I just suck at bowling."

"Well, you can't be good at everything."

Later that night they arrived at the bowling alley early to greet everyone. Gale thought Delly looked adorable. She was wearing a cowboy shirt with red roses on the pockets and black jeans. She had red high tops on when they came in. Now she wore the alley's rental shoes, or as the pimply kid behind the counter called them, "couture du bowling". Gale remembered the day they had found that shirt at Amvets. He bought it for for her for a dollar. She bought him some vintage ties, which he thought was sweet, but ridiculous, since he never wore ties. Tonight he was wearing his favorite tacky Hawaiian shirt. His shoulder was sore and he still did not trust his hand, so bowling was even more intimidating to him than usual. Delly suggested he try right-handed. He swallowed his pride and was on the practice lanes at the very moment when Peeta arrived.

Peeta, usually so calm and collected, was looking a little frazzled. As Gale approached he heard him say to Delly, "You can't believe all the details that go into something like this! I just want it to be perfect for Katniss."

Gale slapped his back and said, "Man,that sounds kinda weird since Katniss is the first to admit she is far from perfect. I'm sure she is looking at this whole thing as just a formality. She's been as good as married to you for years." Peeta turned around with a hundred watt smile and gave Gale a bro-like hug. Gale winced just enough for Delly to notice. She said nothing, just reached down and pulled his sling out of her backpack. Obediently, he sat down to put it on.

Peeta observed this silent conversation and gave a long whistle. "Who's as good as married?" All three chuckled. Gale and Delly looked at each other an extra second. Soon the rest of the group wandered in. First was Johanna, Peeta's and Katniss' roommate from college. Delly had met her before and remembered how scary she was until they had got to know each other. Johanna and Delly had been the sounding boards for Katniss and Peeta during their separation. Therefor, Johanna and Delly conspired routinely about how to get them back together. She was a lot of fun, in a scary way. It figured that she had bailed on pizza and movies in favor of beer and men. She seemed to give Gale a thorough looking over. Delly just about glowed with pride, knowing he didn't even see the feisty brunette as long as Delly was in the room. She said a silent prayer of thanks to the Great Serpent Mound.

The rest of the gang came in, including Thom, who Delly had not seen since he came out of the service. With him was an extra good looking man named Thresh. Delly greeted them both enthusiastically. She noticed Thom was wearing a wedding band and squealed with delight as he explained that Thresh was his husband of three years. She hugged them both and dragged them over to Gale. Gale to an instant liking to Thresh, who was quietly intimidating. He was a coach for the bowling team of all things at the high school in Massachusetts where he and Thom lived. He insisted on giving Gale pointers throughout the night. Turns out Gale was much better a bowler right-handed than he had ever been left-handed. Perhaps it was just Thresh's guidance.

Everyone was in fine spirits, happy to see Peeta and Katniss together and happy. Even that smug, flashy asshole, Marvel. Neither Delly nor Gale could stand him, but they were polite for Peeta's sake. Gale said later that Marvel's superficial fixation with material things just made him all the more certain he was on the right path. Delly reminded him it was her path too. That was followed by secret kisses in the hallway.

It turned out to be a great night. Delly's little brother, Niall showed up later. Delly practically tackled him with hugs and kisses. Gale shook his hand with a big,toothy grin. Niall said that grin was almost more intimidating than Gale's usual snarl, like he was some kind of serial killer. Delly just laughed and hugged them both.

Everyone shared great stories about Peeta and Katniss. Delly remembered the time when they were really little that Peeta had made a painting for Katniss out of finger paints. He wanted to give it to her, but was too shy. So he asked Delly to give it to her. Delly dutifully trotted over to Katniss during lunch and gave her the painting. It was of a big, colorful bird. Pretty great for a six-year-old. Delly said to Katniss, "This is for you from Peeta. I think he wants to marry you." Apparently Katniss, who she thought would say something mean, just sat there and smiled. But she said very seriously, "Delly, we are too young to get married."

Gale shared a story about Katniss and he being out hunting one day when they were about 14 and she would not stop talking about Peeta's cheese buns. Gale said he was getting tired of hearing how there was yet another thing Peeta was perfect at and yelled at her, "Well if you like his buns so dammed much, why don't you marry him!" He followed the story up with heartfelt sentiment: "Catnip's my best friend and I couldn't think of a better person for her to share her life with. You've given her something no one else in the world could (including me): hope."  
Peeta just looked so glad and proud. He was positively beaming when he said, "Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from you."

There was not that much more bowling. Haymitch came back after dropping off Posy and Vic at home. He convinced them all to go to Sae's for late night breakfast. The evening ended with Marvel and Thom in a pancake eating competition, which skinny old Thom won without breaking a sweat. Sae came out of the kitchen and sat and talked with Gale for a while. The old woman always had a soft spot for him and was so worried about him getting shot. Gale assured her he was recovering nicely thanks, with Delly's help. This gave another reason for a secret kiss near the bathrooms.

When they finally got home, Gale and Delly stayed up a little while to have tea with Hazelle and Haymitch. They all talked about recreating a Little Serpent Mound at the meadow. Hazelle said they should make it like a labyrinth for contemplation and renewal. Haymitch and Gale sketched out some plans and thought about supplies. Before they knew it, it was 4:00 a.m. Delly pleaded with Gale to come to bed. The two dragged themselves up the stairs and fell into bed without even taking off their clothes. They new the next day would be busy and the day after was the wedding. A lot still needed to be done to keep Peeta from flying off into hyper-space.

Well, my friends, if you have any suggestions or feedback I'd love to hear it. The small, but trusted band of readers and reviewers are all that keep me from thinking I have totally gone off my nut. as Henry V said, "We happy few."

The Great Serpent Mound is an actual place in Southern Ohio. I happened to have been lucky enough to have been there the night of the "Super Moon" in June. I did NOT act up like these two lovebirds as I was traveling alone and am too fat and old to have sex with anyone on the ground, magical tipi or no. If you want to know more, visit this site: .com.

Next...(drumroll please)...the wedding! Ta -Dah!

, was aimed truly at her clitoris, rubbing and pinching even to break the dam that held her goddess juices. He was on top of her and she writhed, not unlike a great serpent herself, with pleasured moans. His cock was like a spear shaft as he rubbed against her thigh. She wanted that shaft to spear her womb, she wanted it like nothing else. But, she had just enough rational thought to see that his left arm was shaking as he raised himself up above her. She wrapped herself around him as he entered her, head back, neck exposed, back already arched in ecstasy. She looked at him to give him a split second of warning and then flipped them over so that she was on top, but still connected to him. He laughed a fully, throaty laugh and she smiled down at him as she settled herself and slowly began rocking up and down his length. He held her thighs and ass, his taught abs crunching as his strength shattered her.

As she came she arched her back and he thought she looked like some beautiful sculpture. He marveled at her full breasts, splayed slightly with gravity, nipples defying the same law. Her beautiful, round tummy glorious and shining like a full moon in the faint light. She was like a beautiful moon woman connected to him at his very soul. As she rode the first wave, she spread her arms like some great bird, or a priestess giving thanks to the heavens. He was astonished.

She came back down on hands and knees and spoke to him in a guttural growl, "Take me again, Gale. Take me from behind." At that minute she seemed like a mountain lion, soft golden fur covering unnatural power. Not being one to deny a lady in such a moment of possession, he quickly swung out and entered her again, his cock still rock hard and covered with her and him. If she had felt warm and tight before, this was like being held in a lion's mouth. "Oh, God! Dels, you're so...so... I don't think I can hang on!" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut, lest the sight of her fabulous ass make him explode.

She purred, "I'm almost there already again, baby. Don't stop. Fuck me hard!" He shouted something older than words and grabbed her hips, pumping her like a steam engine. They rose together to the point of pleasure and pain until, with a mighty shudder, he released inside her. Exquisite release came to them both and they collapsed in a heap on each other, panting, sweating, unable to form words even if they had wanted to speak. Neither of them had to say it, as they gazed into each other's eyes. Neither of them had felt anything like that before. Gale kissed Delly's forehead; then her eyes, her nose and her lips as he gently held her quivering chin. For her part, Delly let her happy tears flow and she laughed and smiled and hugged him tight. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her again, and again, holding her tight.

They stayed like that for a long while, kissing and making love and even fucking once more, just to make sure it was real. When they became aware that soon the rangers would be returning, they hastily put on their clothes and packed up. The kindly rangers arrived with a wink and a grin and homemade granola and milk from a nearby farm. Gale and Delly ate like ravenous beasts. The handshakes and embraces were knowing and friendly between them as they got back into their rental car. The lovers and the rangers were both richer for their chance meeting. Gale said he would drive this time and Delly was only too happy to allow him. He said, "I'd get lost with you any day." She smiled.

Two and a half hours later they arrived in Seam, WV. Gale had pulled up to his family home, just to show Delly again. He had been regaling her with stories of his youth, all the fun he and Katniss had as kids. She did not know when she had last seen him so joyful. He was practically bubbly! A few minutes later they pulled in the long driveway to Haymitch's house. As he turned off the car, he reached over and grabbed her hand.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Let's go see your family." They had just stepped out of the car when a rocket with pigtails and running shorts jumped into Gale's arms. "Posy! Be careful of him!" Hazelle scolded. Not that it mattered to Gale. He hugged his little sister for all he was worth. Hazelle pried them apart and hugged him as well. "Don't you look fine, son! Are you feeling well?"

"Mom, I've never been better."

Delly came up to Hazelle, wondering if she could tell that she and her son had just had a cosmic experience that same morning. If the all-seeing mother did know, she didn't let it stop her from hugging Delly warmly. "It's so good to see you, dear. We're glad you stopped last night instead of trying to drive while you were so tired. Come on in and let the boys get your things." As she stepped inside she got another hug from Haymitch. That was a bit surprising, considering most of her memories were of him being drunk at some public function or other.

"Good to see you both," Delly said. Hazelle showed her the rest of the house, while Haymitch promised he'd help "tall dark and deadly" with unloading the car. The house was beautiful. A grand old victorian mansion, it was filled with natural woodwork and beveled windows. Despite it being so huge, it had a homey feel. It wasn't spotless, it was loved and lived in. Hazelle showed her to the room she and Gale would be sleeping in. A beautiful four poster bed with crisp linens on it beckoned to Delly. The tipi may have been magical, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Suddenly she felt a little shy. Hazelle, ever-nurturing, put a hand on her shoulder. "Delly dear, you're grown -ups, living together. You didn't think I'd keep you apart under my roof now, did you?" Delly laughed.

"It's so good to be here, Hazelle. I already feel right at home."

"Well, that was the plan. It's the least I could do, considering all you've done for my boy. By the way, he looks better than I've seen him in years. You must be doing something very right." At this she gave her a knowing smile. Delly just giggled. It was one thing for Hazelle to recognize she and Gale had sex, but it was quite another to talk to her openly about it. She would leave that task to Gale.

Vick and Rory brought in their backpacks and the gift, complaining loudly at its weight. Delly thanked them and shooed them out, anxious to take a long overdue shower. When she stepped into the shower, she nearly collapsed from the joy of it. She scrubbed herself until she was pink and squeaky. When she stepped out Gale was there, ogling her as she stood dripping in her big fuzzy towel. He looked like a wolf considering which part of the sheep to eat first.

"Gale, don't start with me!" she scolded, but more teasing than harsh. "I just got clean after all the dirty things you did to me...Which is not to say I didn't enjoy every minute of those dirty things..."

He was inhaling her clean scent. A small mew came from her as he kissed her neck and ear. He smelled pretty bad, er "manly" as her mother would have said. She couldn't care less. She dropped her towel as he backed her into the shower, just barely getting his own clothes off as he got in with her. Much giggling, scolding, teasing and pampering ensued. Thirty minutes later, they both were clean and dressed, still holding hands, still kissing. God, it was almost sickening!

As they came down the stairs all eyes were upon them. Delly almost tried to scoot away back up them in embarrassment. Gale held her fast and smiled at her. He looked at his family and said, "Give her a break already, will ya?"

Haymitch quipped, "we're just amazed at how she's humanized you in such a short time. What's your secret, Delly?"

" I shot him!" she blurted out. Everyone was quiet for one awful second and then everyone was laughing and holding their sides. Lunch proceeded with amiable conversation about their trip and the wedding plans. Gale shared a bit about the Great Serpent Mound. Delly hoped she wasn't blushing quite as much as she felt she was. Posy, just fifteen years old, but wise beyond her years was intrigued with the idea of Delly being the "best woman". Peeta and Delly had decided on bowling as their particular brand of "bachelor party" tonight. Posy didn't understand why she and Vick couldn't go. Hazelle informed her that she would have just as much fun with Katniss and her friends making pizzas at the bakery and watching movies. Haymitch suggested he would take the youngsters to the bowling alley just to say hi and give their best wishes. That lessened the pouting to some degree.

Gale said he was not entirely comfortable with the idea of Delly being the only woman in the group. Delly tried to assure him she would be stuck like glue to him all night, but Gale's old insecurities passed a grey cloud over his face.

"Alright, reality check!" she said. "Let's look at this. Neither you nor I will be drinking. Peeta definitely is not into me. Anyone else really doesn't stand a chance. You have no competition. Therefore you do not have to compete. OK? Get it? Geez!"

"OK," he said begrudgingly as she pushed his shoulder with hers. " I just suck at bowling."

"Well, you can't be good at everything."

Later that night they arrived at the bowling alley early to greet everyone. Gale thought Delly looked adorable. She was wearing a cowboy shirt with red roses on the pockets and black jeans. She had red high tops on when they came in. Now she wore the alley's rental shoes, or as the pimply kid behind the counter called them, "couture du bowling". Gale remembered the day they had found that shirt at Amvets. He bought it for for her for a dollar. She bought him some vintage ties, which he thought was sweet, but ridiculous, since he never wore ties. Tonight he was wearing his favorite tacky Hawaiian shirt. His shoulder was sore and he still did not trust his hand, so bowling was even more intimidating to him than usual. Delly suggested he try right-handed. He swallowed his pride and was on the practice lanes at the very moment when Peeta arrived.

Peeta, usually so calm and collected, was looking a little frazzled. As Gale approached he heard him say to Delly, "You can't believe all the details that go into something like this! I just want it to be perfect for Katniss."

Gale slapped his back and said, "Man,that sounds kinda weird since Katniss is the first to admit she is far from perfect. I'm sure she is looking at this whole thing as just a formality. She's been as good as married to you for years." Peeta turned around with a hundred watt smile and gave Gale a bro-like hug. Gale winced just enough for Delly to notice. She said nothing, just reached down and pulled his sling out of her backpack. Obediently, he sat down to put it on.

Peeta observed this silent conversation and gave a long whistle. "Who's as good as married?" All three chuckled. Gale and Delly looked at each other an extra second. Soon the rest of the group wandered in. First was Johanna, Peeta's and Katniss' roommate from college. Delly had met her before and remembered how scary she was until they had got to know each other. Johanna and Delly had been the sounding boards for Katniss and Peeta during their separation. Therefor, Johanna and Delly conspired routinely about how to get them back together. She was a lot of fun, in a scary way. It figured that she had bailed on pizza and movies in favor of beer and men. She seemed to give Gale a thorough looking over. Delly just about glowed with pride, knowing he didn't even see the feisty brunette as long as Delly was in the room. She said a silent prayer of thanks to the Great Serpent Mound.

The rest of the gang came in, including Thom, who Delly had not seen since he came out of the service. With him was an extra good looking man named Thresh. Delly greeted them both enthusiastically. She noticed Thom was wearing a wedding band and squealed with delight as he explained that Thresh was his husband of three years. She hugged them both and dragged them over to Gale. Gale to an instant liking to Thresh, who was quietly intimidating. He was a coach for the bowling team of all things at the high school in Massachusetts where he and Thom lived. He insisted on giving Gale pointers throughout the night. Turns out Gale was much better a bowler right-handed than he had ever been left-handed. Perhaps it was just Thresh's guidance.

Everyone was in fine spirits, happy to see Peeta and Katniss together and happy. Even that smug, flashy asshole, Marvel. Neither Delly nor Gale could stand him, but they were polite for Peeta's sake. Gale said later that Marvel's superficial fixation with material things just made him all the more certain he was on the right path. Delly reminded him it was her path too. That was followed by secret kisses in the hallway.

It turned out to be a great night. Delly's little brother, Niall showed up later. Delly practically tackled him with hugs and kisses. Gale shook his hand with a big,toothy grin. Niall said that grin was almost more intimidating than Gale's usual snarl, like he was some kind of serial killer. Delly just laughed and hugged them both.

Everyone shared great stories about Peeta and Katniss. Delly remembered the time when they were really little that Peeta had made a painting for Katniss out of finger paints. He wanted to give it to her, but was too shy. So he asked Delly to give it to her. Delly dutifully trotted over to Katniss during lunch and gave her the painting. It was of a big, colorful bird. Pretty great for a six-year-old. Delly said to Katniss, "This is for you from Peeta. I think he wants to marry you." Apparently Katniss, who she thought would say something mean, just sat there and smiled. But she said very seriously, "Delly, we are too young to get married."

Gale shared a story about Katniss and he being out hunting one day when they were about 14 and she would not stop talking about Peeta's cheese buns. Gale said he was getting tired of hearing how there was yet another thing Peeta was perfect at and yelled at her, "Well if you like his buns so dammed much, why don't you marry him!" He followed the story up with heartfelt sentiment: "Catnip's my best friend and I couldn't think of a better person for her to share her life with. You've given her something no one else in the world could (including me): hope."  
Peeta just looked so glad and proud. He was positively beaming when he said, "Thanks, man. That means a lot coming from you."

There was not that much more bowling. Haymitch came back after dropping off Posy and Vic at home. He convinced them all to go to Sae's for late night breakfast. The evening ended with Marvel and Thom in a pancake eating competition, which skinny old Thom won without breaking a sweat. Sae came out of the kitchen and sat and talked with Gale for a while. The old woman always had a soft spot for him and was so worried about him getting shot. Gale assured her he was recovering nicely thanks, with Delly's help. This gave another reason for a secret kiss near the bathrooms.

When they finally got home, Gale and Delly stayed up a little while to have tea with Hazelle and Haymitch. They all talked about recreating a Little Serpent Mound at the meadow. Hazelle said they should make it like a labyrinth for contemplation and renewal. Haymitch and Gale sketched out some plans and thought about supplies. Before they knew it, it was 4:00 a.m. Delly pleaded with Gale to come to bed. The two dragged themselves up the stairs and fell into bed without even taking off their clothes. They new the next day would be busy and the day after was the wedding. A lot still needed to be done to keep Peeta from flying off into hyper-space.

**Well, my friends, if you have any suggestions or feedback I'd love to hear it. The small, but trusted band of readers and reviewers are all that keep me from thinking I have totally gone off my nut. As Henry V said, "We happy few."**

**The Great Serpent Mound is an actual place in Southern Ohio. I happened to have been lucky enough to have been there the night of the "Super Moon" in June. I did NOT act up like these two lovebirds as I was traveling alone and am too fat and old to have sex with anyone on the ground, magical tipi or no. If you want to know more, visit this site: .com.**

**Next...(drumroll please)...the wedding! Ta -Dah!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi ho! I have been oppressed mightily at work and other places. Without the support of you wonderful folks, who I don't even really know, I don't know how I should manage. Please tell me your favorite flavor ice cream, so I can at least say I know that about you. Heart hugs go out to chele20035 for plot suggestions and kindly prodding.**

**I think I have been forgetting to say it, but you know I do not own any part of Suzanne Collins brave new world.**

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Delly sat at Hazelle's breakfast table. It felt like it was the middle of the night; that time when no matter what the clock says, you feel as if you are in another dimension. Delly was lingering with her coffee cup, running her index finger around the rim. Gale came downstairs and stood behind her and held her shoulders. Her hand rose to his as she rested her cheek against it She greeted him with a nervous smile. His furrowed brow and eyes showed his worry for her. He gave her shoulders a squeeze. He didn't have to say it, she knew he wanted her to say what was going on with her. He pulled up a chair and sat down.

It was the night before Katniss and Peeta's wedding day. The day they had all been hoping for. Delly felt truly happy for her friends, but she was also worried. She'd been so busy since she and Gale had arrived home that she hadn't really had any time to think about how she felt about being back home. She had a hard time sleeping last night, tossing and turning with bad dreams that she couldn't remember. She knew there was one dream where she and Gale were running to get away from something awful. She did not know what the awful thing was, it was like a nameless, shapeless black void growing behind them as they ran.

She finally got up around 5:00 am, trying hard not to wake Gale. She knew if she didn't tackle whatever was giving her bad dreams, it might come squirting out as a panic attack at the wedding. Whatever happened, Delly knew she didn't want anything to spoil her best friend's day.

Despite all the personal growth and work she had done with Cinna, Delly still found it difficult to recognize and share her feelings with others. Even with Gale, who she felt she trusted more than anyone she had ever known before, she still had the nagging suspicion that she could blow it. He drew his chair closer and putting his arm around her; she didn't know quite what to say. What was she feeling? She was happy for Peeta and Katniss. She was having a fine time with the Hawthorne-Abernathy clan. She was glad to see Niall. What was it then? What gave her bad dreams, with nothing she could remember other than an undercurrent of dread? She just couldn't find the words.

As Gale kissed her temple and stroked her messy bedhead hair, she let out a sigh of relief. He didn't say a word: he just held her. She marveled at his patience, but she had no words. She felt constricted by her own brain. She increasingly felt like she wanted to jump out of her own skin. As she sat back in her chair and away from Gale's embrace, she noticed her knee was bouncing up and down. What on earth was this about? She let out another huge breath and all of a sudden the weak little smile she gave Gale as she looked at him became a quivering chin. Her quivering chin became another sigh that became a sob and big, fat tears were spilling over her eyes and cheeks. She shook her head and let it fall onto her arms, crossed before her on the table.

Gale remained quiet. A part of Delly's mind told her that was huge for him. He couldn't stand to see her cry. He most often tried to fix it with words, or kisses, or distractions. But here, in this deep night, with his best friend getting married to her best friend, with his own insecurities about his life and achievements, he didn't move.

Delly's sobs had disintegrated into ugly hiccups and a running nose. But she screwed up her nerve and raised her head, blotchy, reddened face and all. She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown and looked at her lover, (her lover!) and saw that he too was sniffling and choking back his own tears.

"Oh, Gale-man!" she wailed again and launched into a fresh batch of sobs, this time holding him as they cried together. "What are we ever going to do? We can't fuck up this wedding!"

"We won't," he said, as much a prayer as a statement. "We're just crying now. People are supposed to cry at weddings, aren't they?"

"But, I don't know why I'm crying, Gale! If I don't know what this is about, how can I keep it together in the church? What if I have a panic attack at the church? I can't mess this up for Peeta and Katniss! They're trying so hard to make it their own kind of day, not something someone else expects of them. And here I am, a blubbering fool! This isn't supposed to be about me! I feel like such a child!"

"Maybe we are children right now," Gale said. He had stopped crying, but still looked so sad. "Maybe my hurt little kid needs to cry with your hurt little kid. Maybe we can't fix this right now. Maybe we just have to have enough faith in the love between us all. Maybe we just have to believe that we will understand it when the time is right." He looked at her with those deep, grey eyes, those soulful orbs that had seen so much pain and loss.

"You're right," she confessed. "We have to trust in love. And if I fall apart tomorrow, you'll catch me, right?"

"You bet your shapely ass I will." His smile had returned. "And you'll hold on to me if I try to run away, right?"

"You know it, Hawthorne."

They sat in each other's arms a few more minutes. How wondrous it was to just be able to BE with someone, thought Delly. Not have to be anything; just BE. "How about you follow my large and shapely ass back to bed, eh, handsome?" She rose and offered her hand. He took it and kissed it as they slowly climbed the stairs holding hands. Under the blankets they held each other again, safe and warm in each other's love. No more bad dreams that night for either of them, they woke to Hazelle calling their names just before eight o'clock.

They both sat bolt upright in the bed, realizing they had about an hour to get ready and get to the church. There was mad scrambling and and showering and shaving. Somehow they made it out the door with everything they needed. Although Gale wasn't walking down the aisle with Katniss (Haymitch would have that honor), she asked him to be an usher. Delly was relieved he would be there for her.

They rushed to the hall where the wedding was to take place. It would have been ok, except that it was also pouring rain outside. Like a deluge. Like a Tsunami. They raced in the doors, only partially soaked. Haymitch was already there. He took one look at Delly, water dripping down her face and wordlessly handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. "You know they have these interesting inventions called umbrellas," he said, dripping with as much sarcasm as Delly was with water. Gale shot him a look of death. He was already worried about how Delly and he would do today; he did not need asshole pot-stirrers like Abernathy screwing it up.

Delly chose to shoot right back, instead. "Why thank you, Mr. Abernathy, for all of your concern. Luckily you are here to save us from ourselves!" Gale looked at her and a goofy grin crawled up his face. Delly wrung out the handkerchief and returned it to Haymitch with a highly phony curtsy. That made Gale's grin turn into a guffaw. She bounded up the stairs to where she thought she might find Peeta, or at least a hair dryer. She just had to dry off and change into her dress. Since Peeta wasn't wearing a tux, Delly had picked out a great looking deep purple dress with a square neckline and curves that accentuated her own in a flattering way. Gale had found this terrific military style jacket in gray. They would look marvelous on the dance floor.

Peeta was, of course, pacing in the hall. He took one look at her and pointed around the corner to where Katniss was being fussed over. He grabbed her wrist as she passed him. "Save her Delly. Prim and Johanna have been pecking at her since 7:30 this morning."

Delly looked at her best friend. Should she tell him about last night? No, she thought. It would just make him more nervous. Instead she gave him a reassuring hug and told him not to worry. As she entered the bride's room, she was met with the sight of Prim and Johanna armed with curling iron and make up brushes, while Katniss sat in a chair, arms crossed across a large hairdressing cape. As Delly made her way over to the hair dryer, Katniss was saying, "Honestly, Prim, I do not see what all this fussing has to do with Peeta and I! This whole ceremony is just a formality. We are as good as married anyway. All this piece of paper will do is make it legal."

Johanna hissed, "Brainless! You are standing up in front of all your friends and loved ones and declaring your commitment and devotion to one another. You cannot do that with your hair in its usual rat's nest braid and jeans!"

Prim said, "Katniss you can be so obtuse! Wait. What am I saying? You are the girl who did not even know Peeta was in love with you for, like, your whole lives."

"That's right, Primmy," Johanna continued as she strategically placed a graceful curl at the end of a tiny braid she had made from Katniss' bangs. "Besides, you have to look hot, so I can look hot, so I can get laid tonight!"

They all stopped, looked at Johanna, looked at each other and broke out in hysterical laughter.

Delly said, "Katniss my friend, as much as you resist it, you are really beautiful. It will make Peeta so happy to see you."

"Oh, alright! As long as it makes Peeta happy." Five minutes later, her transformation was complete. Delly, Prim and Jo all agreed she had never before looked so radiant. Her dress was a vintage 50's style tea length, with a sweetheart neckline. A golden-orange color underneath, it was all covered in beautiful ivory lace and hugged her petite figure in all the right places. She wore a simple pearl necklace and earrings. Prim and Johanna had woven tiny braids with tiny pearls and soft orange flowers in them into a beautiful pattern, from which cascaded a waterfall of beautiful raven curls. Her cheeks were just pink enough, her lips just rosy enough to make her look her best. She was a stunning, natural beauty. Her bouquet was made of white and ivory lilies and gold, orange and crimson chrysanthemums and some purple hydrangea and long tendrils of ivy.

Prim wore a long green dress and Johanna a short rust colored one. Each of them carried a nosegay of autumn colored spider mums. Delly, not having a lapel for a boutonniere, had a small wrist corsage of orange cala lily and purple mums. They made a handsome looking group. Delly's smile was genuine as they all took pictures of themselves with Katniss. Then she rushed out, grabbed Peeta, who was desperately trying to get a peek at his bride. "Come on Peeta! The guests will be arriving any minute!" she said as she pushed him down the hall and went downstairs to wait.

She could tell Peeta was nervous, but more excited than afraid. She grabbed his hand as they made their way to the front of the church. She was so happy for him, she felt like skipping down the aisle. Actually, there wasn't an aisle. Katniss and Peeta had decided that there should be no divisions at their union ceremony, so they had the chairs set up in a big semi circle, with little paths weaving in and out for access.

When Delly and Peeta got to the front, she smoothed out the shoulders of his suit, a deep blue that made his eyes sparkle like the bluest sapphires. She attached his boutonniere, orange lily with green ivy and tiny mums. "You are the handsomest I have ever seen. I am so happy for you and Katniss. You two are what true love is all about." Peeta squeezed her hands in gratitude.

"It means so much to have you here, Delly. Since our moms have died, it's sad to not have them here. My dad will probably sit with Katniss' mom. Rye just got in late last night, so who knows what kind of shape he will be in. Brad is off making millions in China - and actually if he wasn't he probably wouldn't be here anyway. So you, my best friend, my oldest and dearest friend, you are my family. And I hope I'm yours."

"Of course you are, Peeta! I would never have made it this far in life without you." she started to tear up and gave him a huge hug. "Oh look what I've done," she joked,"I've wrinkled you again." They laughed together and all Delly's cares of last night disappeared, melting away like mountain mist in the hot sun.

The guests began coming in. Gale and Rye were the ushers. Gale, with Greasy Sae on his arm, looked up and saw Delly and Peeta standing there. She looked so pretty, no, pretty wasn't enough. She looked so truly good. She was straightening Peeta's look. Just like her to be making sure things were alright for everyone else. He wondered if she was feeling ok. He knew he was feeling a little apprehensive. He wished she would turn around. After he got Sae seated he stood there just a half a moment more...

And then she turned and their eyes locked and they both smiled widely. She told him with her smiling eyes that she could be truly present for this happy occasion. That she feared no ghosts of the past in this moment. That she had no panic. That she trusted love. She hoped he saw this in her. He returned her hope with his own.

The guests were all seated. Mayor Undersee stood in the center, Peeta and Delly to his left. Behind him was his daughter, Madge, playing softly on the piano. Was it Eric Satie's "3 Gymnopidies"? Yes, she thought it was. Gale and Rye were coming up to join them. As they arrived, Thom stood next to Madge and brought out his violin. They began playing Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" as Prim and Johanna walked arm in arm to the center. Behind them came Katniss and her mom and Haymitch, Delly thought Peeta might burst, that's how big his smile was. Then Haymitch and Katniss' mom brought Katniss over to Peeta and kissed them both. Haymitch turned and sat with Hazelle, who held his hand, fingers entwined. Katniss' mom returned behind her daughter, resting her hand on Katniss' shoulder. Then Prim and Delly came up and Prim took Katniss' bouquet and looped a green ribbon around Katniss' right wrist. Delly looped a soft orange one around Peeta's left wrist. Then Prim and Delly wove the two ribbons together and re-wrapped the couple's wrists in each other's color ribbon, leaving long strands hanging from their entwined hands. Meanwhile, Johanna and Rye went to the table before the assembly and each brought a lit candle to the bride and groom. Katniss and Peeta then carefully took the candles and lit one larger one with them.

Mr. Undersee said, "Friends, we gather here to witness the union of two most special people, Katniss and Peeta. What you have seen so far symbolizes the strong bonds between them and the light that shines from within each of them, combining into a new and different light. The bonds between them have long, long tails to show that they will bring many others into their new life together: maybe children, maybe friends, maybe neighbors. Those strong bonds connect them to each other and to others they each love and who they love together, but they do not restrict them, or restrain them. Likewise, their light together grows brighter than their light apart, but their individual lights do not go out as they join, they combine.

We all wish the best for Katniss and Peeta, who have faced so many trials together. As the Poet Rumi wrote:

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.  
May it be sweet milk,  
this marriage, like wine and halvah.  
May this marriage offer fruit and shade  
like the date palm.  
May this marriage be full of laughter,  
our every day a day in paradise.  
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,  
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.  
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,  
an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.  
I am out of words to describe  
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

And now, our friend, Gale Hawthorne will read to us." Delly looked back and held his hand for a second and smiled.

Gale stepped up and first spoke to the guests. "I hope you all will pardon me for turning my back on you, but this reading is really for Katniss and Peeta, so they may always know that we, all of us here together, bless this day and their commitment to each other. This poem is called 'A Blessing for a Wedding' by Jane Hirschfeld" Gale turned to the wedding couple and read:

Today when persimmons ripen  
Today when fox-kits come out of their den into snow  
Today when the spotted egg releases its wren song  
Today when the maple sets down its red leaves  
Today when windows keep their promise to open  
Today when fire keeps its promise to warm  
Today when someone you love has died  
or someone you never met has died  
Today when someone you love has been born  
or someone you will not meet has been born  
Today when rain leaps to the waiting of roots in their dryness  
Today when starlight bends to the roofs of the hungry and tired  
Today when someone sits long inside his last sorrow  
Today when someone steps into the heat of her first embrace  
Today, let this light bless you  
With these friends let it bless you  
With snow-scent and lavender bless you  
Let the vow of this day keep itself wildly and wholly  
Spoken and silent, surprise you inside your ears  
Sleeping and waking, unfold itself inside your eyes  
Let its fierceness and tenderness hold you  
Let its vastness be undisguised in all your days.

He kissed them both on both cheeks, then returned to his spot. Delly thought she was never more in love with him than now.

The rest of the service was just as lovely and meaningful. Of course they had written their own vows, promising to stand by each other in hard times and be joyous with each other in glad times, to nourish and sustain each other, to delight and inspire each other, to protect each other and their family together. Katniss asked him to promise that he would tell her when she was being an idiot. He agreed, laughing freely with her. Peeta begged her to tell him when she needed space, but to promise she would always come back to him. She agreed, saying, "Peeta, I can only come back to you because only you are my home."

Shortly after that Mr. Undersee had them exchange rings - no small feat with hands tied together - followed by his saying the required magic words and request for a "final movie scene sort of kiss", to which they most happily complied. Katniss was dipped by Peeta into a position that would have cracked Gumby in half. When they came up for air, Peeta yelled "Well, folks, we did it! Come back to our place for some dancing and music and lunch and cake and a good time!" Madge began to play "Let's Do It" by Cole Porter as the happy couple practically galloped out of the room.

As everyone else filed out, Delly and Gale stood off to the side and held each other's hands, gazing into each other's eyes. Neither of them had to say it, but they knew someday soon it would be their day together. They kissed each other gently, sweetly and full of love. Hand in hand they put on their coats and went outside. The rain had stopped, but in the distance the sky was painted with golden lights and deep dark clouds. The sun shone against the dramatic backdrop, revealing a rainbow. Could this day get any better?

When they got to Katniss and Peeta's house, there was a Thanksgiving feast on the table. It was a culture of abundance. Everyone had been cooking for days and dropping things off. Rory and Vick Hawthorne, of all people had coordinated the feast. Rory had even shot the wild turkey. Peeta and his dad had made the wedding cake, but Peeta had decorated it alone. Each tier had a different scene on it from some of his favorite memories with Katniss: the meadow, the rooftop of their freshman dorm, even the train ride. All the scenes were surrounded by graceful frosted flowers and leaves. It was a breathtaking act of love.

The feasting was often interrupted by people getting up to make toasts and say congratulations. When it was Delly's turn, she rose a little timidly. She nervously told the story of how she met Peeta when they were just babies. One day when she was making mud pies in her back yard and Peeta came by and offered to help, since his dad was a baker and all. "I guess he thought I needed the help of an expert," she said, raising her shoulders. "I thought I was perfectly fine on my own, but once he came into my life, I knew I was so much better. That's the way Peeta is; he just helps you be the best you can be. And that's why Katniss is perfect for him. She has been so strong, so passionate, so fiery and so loyal all of our lives together. She will never let him forget to be as good to himself as he is to everyone else. And so, I ask you all to raise your glasses to Katniss and Peeta - the BEST!"

Gale stood and clinked his glass. "I'm not much good at speeches. I just want to say to Peeta, welcome to the family. I want to say to Katniss that I am glad to see you so truly happy. I want to read you a poem that Delly introduced me to. It's called 'The Place Where Everything Changed', by Marge Piercy," As he read the poem he started looking at the happy couple, but he ended up reading it right to Delly. She blushed a thousand shades of red, but she was smiling a genuine smile. Here is the poem:

The Place Where Everything Changed, a poem by Marge Piercy

Great love is an abrupt switching  
in a life bearing along at express speeds  
expecting to reach the designated stations  
at the minute listed in the timetable.

Great love can cause derailment,  
coaches upended, people screaming  
luggage strewn over the mountainside  
blood and paper on the grass.

It's months before the repairs are done,  
everyone discharged from the hospital,  
all the lawsuits settled, damage  
paid for, the scandal subsided.

Then we get on with the journey  
in some new direction, hiking overland  
with camels, mules, via helicopter  
by barge through canals.

The maps are all redrawn and what  
was north is east of south  
and there be dragons in those mountains  
and the sun shines warmer and hairier

and the moon has a cat's face.  
There is more sunshine. More rain.  
The seasons are marked and intense.  
We seldom catch colds.

There is always you at my back  
ready to fight when I must fight;  
there is always you at my side  
the words flashing light and shadow.

What was grey ripples scarlet and golden;  
what was bland reeks of ginger and brandy;  
what was empty roars like a packed stadium;  
what slept gallows for miles.

Even our bones are reformed in the close  
night when we hold each other's dreams.  
Memories uncoil backward and are remade.  
Now the first egg itself is freshly twinned.

We build daily houses brick by brick.  
We put each other up at night like tents.  
This story tells itself as it grows.  
Each morning we give birth to one another.

At the party, Madge and Thom and a few others played every kind of music anyone could dance to: dixieland jazz to disco. You name it, they played it and folks were dancing their feet off. Rye and Johanna seemed to hit it off and were doing things on the dance floor that left little to the imagination. Thom and Thresh danced a few times, so clearly in love that it made everyone who might have been uncomfortable with two men dancing feel differently. Delly saw Niall ask Posy for a dance. Even though he was in college, he was still only 16, so it wasn't quite as inappropriate as it might have seemed. That did not stop Gale from watching them like a hawk. Delly had abandoned her shoes almost immediately, so when she and Gale were dancing she had to stand on her tiptoes. She came up to his chest.

"Do I need to say how beautiful you are tonight, Ms. Cartwright?" he asked sweetly.

"It couldn't hurt," she said.

"Well, you do look beautiful. The only way I can imagine you more beautiful than you are in this dress is to think of how you would look out of this dress."

"Oh-ho-ho. You are one smooth talker, Mr. Hawthorne," she said to his chest. "That was some poem you read earlier. I think you musty love me, or something."

"That I do, dear Delly. That I do." he said.

#############

**well, I know that was a short one. Took me forever, though. Let me know what you think, ok.**


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